Flexoelectricity: A Perspective on an Unusual Electromechanical Coupling

Abstract

The ability of certain materials to convert electrical stimuli into mechanical deformation, and vice versa, is a prized property. Not surprisingly, applications of such socalled piezoelectric materials are broad—ranging from energy harvesting to selfpowered sensors. In this perspective, written in the form of questionanswers, we highlight a relatively understudied electromechanical coupling called flexoelectricity that appears to have tantalizing implications in topics ranging from biophysics to the design of nextgeneration multifunctional nanomaterials.