Concept

Flexoelectricity is the generation of electric polarization under mechanical strain gradient or mechanical deformation due to the electric field gradient (converse flexo). It is a more general phenomenon than the linear change in polarization due to stress, the piezoelectric effect. Flexoelectricity exists in a wider range of centrosymmetric materials especially nontoxic materials useful for biomedical application. It grows dominantly in energy density at submicro- or nanoscale enabling self-powered nano devices such as body implants and small-scale wireless sensors. Among the emerging applications of flexoelectricity, energy harvesters are the basic front devices of wide technological impact.