can be obtained tested polymers can withstand an electric field higher than 350 mv m resulting in very high elastic energy densities it was also found that the phase which was transformed after electron irradiation is not a simple paraelectric phase but a relaxor ferroelectric which has local micropolar regions applicants were able to modify the structure of ferroelectric polymers so that use could be made of the strains associated with phase transition at room temperature and to either reduce or eliminate the hysteresis losses without reducing the strain levels it was found that this was possible if the macroscopic coherent polarization domains could be broken up and inhomogeneities defects introduced into the crystal structure i e conversion of part of the trans molecular bonds to gauche molecular bonds there are several ways by which these effects can be accomplished i e chemically by adding a bulky side group to the main polymer chain which operates as an internal plasticizer and by irradiation i e by introducing defects using high energy radiation e g at energy levels in an approximate range of 500 kev to 3 mev using beta or gamma rays in an oxygen free atmosphere the radiation in.