The flexoelectric effect corresponds to the linear variation of electric polarization a material subjected strain gradient (i.e., during its mechanical bending). Unlike piezoelectricity, it also exists in non-centrosymmetric materials. Furthermore, due term, magnitude can increase as size system decreases. Thanks this effect, nanoscale systems could be used harvest thermal vibration energy powe...

A molecular theory of both elastic constants and the flexoelectric coefficients of bent-core nematic liquid crystals has been developed taking into account dipole-dipole interactions as well as polar interactions determined by the bent molecular shape. It has been shown that if polar interactions are neglected, the elastic constants are increasing monotonically with the decreasing temperature. ...

The effects of dipolar interactions and molecular flexibility on the structure and phase behavior of bent-core molecular fluids are studied using Monte Carlo computer simulations. Some calculations of flexoelectric coefficients are also reported. The rigid cores of the model molecules consist of either five or seven soft spheres arranged in a "V" shape with external bend angle gamma. With purel...

The recent discovery of nematic liquid crystals with polar order (ferroelectric) has created immense interest. Despite intensive research, several physical properties this crystal are yet to be investigated and understood. Here, we report experimental studies on the surface alignment, birefringence, flexoelectric coefficient a $({N}_{\mathrm{F}})$ crystal. Our experiments directly reveal that s...

The exoelectric e ect provides a linear coupling between electric polarization and orientational deformation in liquid crystals. It in uences many electrooptical phenomena and it is used in some bistable nematic devices. A statistical theory of dipole exoelectric polarization in biaxial nematic liquid crystals is used to calculate temperature dependence of order parameters, elastic constants, a...

Nematic phase gratings have been studied in which a planar nematic layer of thickness 17.2 μm is sandwiched between two glass substrates coated with an alignment polymer. The upper substrate is a continuous earth plane and the lower substrate has a patterned electrode of interdigitated stripes (electrodes and gaps are both 40 μm wide). Reorientation of the nematic liquid crystal occurs in respo...