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Bone is a stiff and though, hierarchical and continuously evolving material that optimizes its structure to respond to mechanical stimuli, which also govern growth and remodeling processes. However, a full understanding of the underlying…
As a consequence of elasticity, mechanical deformations of crystals occur on a length scale comparable to their thickness. This is exemplified by applying a homogeneous electric field to a multi-domain ferroelectric crystal: as one domain…
Soft robotics requires materials that are capable of large deformation and amenable to actuation with external stimuli such as electric fields. Energy harvesting, biomedical devices, flexible electronics and sensors are some other…
The theories of flexoelectricity and that of nonlocal elasticity are closely related, and are often considered together when modeling strain-gradient effects in solids. Here I show, based on a first-principles lattice-dynamical analysis,…
Two-dimensional ferroelectrics with robust polarization offer promising opportunities for non-volatile memory, field-effect transistors, and optoelectronic devices. However, the impact of lattice deformation on polarization and photoinduced…
The flexoelectric (FE) effect provides a linear coupling between electric polarization and orientational deformation in liquid crystals. It influences many electrooptical phenomena and it is used in some bistable nematic devices. A…
Natural hard composites like human bone possess a combination of strength and toughness that exceeds that of their constituents and of many engineered composites. This augmentation is attributed to their complex hierarchical structure,…
Mechanical stress-induced damage to the articular cartilage can result in fracture imitation or significant tissue degeneration leading to osteoarthritis (OA) compromising joint mobility. Despite the clinical significance, a comprehensive…
Flexoelectricity is characterised by the coupling of the gradient of the deformation and the electrical polarization in a dielectric material. A novel micromorphic approach is presented to accommodate the resulting higher-order gradient…
Flexoelectricity, an electromechanical coupling between strain gradient and polarization, offers a promising dimension to enrich silicon-based devices. Although the flexoelectricity of silicon is known, some fundamental aspects remain…
The relationship between the applied elastic strain gradient and the induced electric polarization in the alpha-phase polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) films under bending conditions has been investigated. Our experimental studies have shown…
We have measured the bending-induced polarization of Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 single crystals with compositions at the relaxor-ferroelectric phase boundary. The crystals display very large flexoelectricity, with flexocoupling coefficients an…
Piezoelectricity is inherent only in noncentrosymmetric materials, but a piezoelectric response can also be obtained in centrosymmetric crystals if subjected to inhomogeneous deformation. This phenomenon, known as flexoelectricity, affects…
We study the influence of thermal fluctuations on the fracture of elastic networks, via simulations of the uniaxial extension of central-force spring networks with varying rigidity, i.e. connectivity. Studying their failure response, both…
Flexoelectricity is a type of ubiquitous and prominent electromechanical coupling, pertaining to the response of electrical polarization to mechanical strain gradients while not restricted to the symmetry of materials. However, large…
Flexoelectricity is defined as the coupling between strain gradient and polarization, which is expected to be remarkable at nanoscale. However, measuring the flexoelectricity at nanoscale is challenging. In the present work, an analytical…
Non-conductive materials like rubbers, plastics, ceramics, and even semiconductors have the property of flexoelectricity, which means that they can generate electricity when bent and twisted. However, an irregular shape or a peculiar load…
Flexoelectricity has garnered much attention owing to its ability to bring electromechanical functionality to non-piezoelectric materials and its nanoscale significance. In order to move towards a more complete understanding of this…
A centrosymmetric stress cannot induce a polar response in centric materials, piezoelectricity is, for example, possible only in non-centrosymmetric structures. An exception is meta-materials with shape asymmetry, which may be polarized by…
This paper describes a two-dimensional (2D) finite element simulation for fracture and fatigue behaviours of pure alumina microstructures such as those found at hip prostheses. Finite element models are developed using actual Al2O3…