Electronic flexoelectricity in low-dimensional systems

By Sergei V. Kalinin, Vincent Meunien. 2007

142 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Symmetry breaking at surfaces and interfaces and the capability to support large strain gradients in nanoscale systems enable new forms of electromechanical coupling. Here we introduce the concept of quantum flexoelectricity, a phenomenon that is manifested when the mechanical deformation of non-polar quantum systems results in the emergence of net dipole moments and hence linear electromechanical coupling proportional to local curvature. The concept is illustrated in carbon systems, including polyacetylene and nano graphitic ribbons. Using density functional theory calculations for systems made of up to 400 atoms, we determine the flexoelectric coefficients to be of the order of ~ 0.1 e, in agreement with the prediction of linear theory. The implications of quantum flexoelectricity on electromechanical device applications, and physics of carbon based materials are discussed.

Subfields: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics, Materials Chemistry

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/29616c3b1ded244b61be484e9f7e14cc95361cf7

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

1. Q. Deng
2. P. Yudin
3. Liping Liu
4. P. Sharma
5. A. Tagantsev
6. M. Kammoun
7. Alper Erturk

In Materials Chemistry

1. Q. Deng
2. P. Yudin
3. A. Tagantsev
4. Liping Liu
5. P. Sharma
6. M. Kammoun
7. Alper Erturk
8. Harold S. Park

Citations in the corpus

• Fundamentals of flexoelectricity in solids (2013, methodology): “The electronic contribution to flexoelectricity in carbon nanosystems was evaluated by Dumitrica et al [49] and Kalinin and Meunier [50] using ab initio calculations.”
• Nanoscale flexoelectric energy harvesting (2014, background): “, 2006, 2007) and theoretical work (Sharma et al., 2007; Majdoub et al., 2009a; Eliseev et al., 2009, 2011; Maranganti and Sharma, 2009; Majdoub et al., 2008a,b, 2009b,c; Sharma et al., 2010, 2012; Gharbi et al., 2011; Kalinin and Meunier, 2008; Dumitrica et al., 2002).”
• Flexoelectricity in soft materials and biological membranes (2014, background): “The aforementioned developments pertain primarily to hard ceramic crystals.”