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Dielectric Polarization in a Capacitor01:31

Dielectric Polarization in a Capacitor

The presence of a dielectric medium in a capacitor not only changes the voltage and capacitance but also affects the electric field. In general, dielectrics can be of two types: polar and nonpolar. In a polar dielectric, the positive and negative charges in the molecules are separated by a distance and hence have a permanent dipole moment. In contrast, no such charge separation exists in a nonpolar dielectric, however the nonpolar molecules get polarized in the presence of an external electric...
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Phase transitions play an important theoretical and practical role in the study of heat flow. In melting or fusion, a solid turns into a liquid; the opposite process is freezing. In evaporation, a liquid turns into a gas; the opposite process is condensation.
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For electrode reversibility to be maintained, all the reactants and products involved in the half-reaction must be present at the electrode. There are several types of reversible electrodes (half-cells).In metal-metal-ion electrodes, a metal balances electrochemically with a solution of its own ions. Examples are Cu2+|Cu and Zn2+|Zn. Metals that react with the solvent, like group 1 and most group 2 metals, which react with water, and zinc, which reacts with aqueous acidic solutions, cannot be...
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The phase of a given substance depends on the pressure and temperature. Thus, plots of pressure versus temperature showing the phase in each region provide considerable insights into the thermal properties of substances. Such plots are known as phase diagrams. For instance, in the phase diagram for water (Figure 1), the solid curve boundaries between the phases indicate phase transitions (i.e., temperatures and pressures at which the phases coexist).
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Updated: Jul 11, 2026

An Electrochemical Cholesteric Liquid Crystalline Device for Quick and Low-Voltage Color Modulation
10:33

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Published on: February 27, 2019

Flexoelectric blue phases.

G P Alexander1, J M Yeomans

  • 1Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, University of Oxford, 1 Keble Road, Oxford, OX1 3NP, United Kingdom.

Physical Review Letters
|October 13, 2007
PubMed
Summary

Flexoelectric liquid crystal phases with two-dimensional splay and bend distortions are stabilized by flexoelectric interactions. These novel phases exhibit unique order and topological defects, analogous to cholesteric blue phases.

Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Condensed Matter Physics

Background:

  • Liquid crystals exhibit diverse phases driven by intermolecular forces.
  • Flexoelectricity, an electromechanical coupling in dielectrics, influences liquid crystal phase behavior.
  • Cholesteric liquid crystals display blue phases with complex three-dimensional structures.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate novel liquid crystal phases stabilized by flexoelectric interactions.
  • To characterize the occurrence and properties of two-dimensional splay and bend distortions.
  • To compare these flexoelectric phases with the blue phases of cholesteric liquid crystals.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing Landau-de Gennes Q-tensor theory for mean-field analysis.
  • Employing analytic and numerical techniques to construct a phase diagram.

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  • Examining the role of flexoelectricity in stabilizing specific liquid crystal structures.
  • Main Results:

    • Identified liquid crystal phases with two-dimensional splay and bend distortions.
    • These phases are characterized by locally double splayed order and topological defects.
    • A phase diagram illustrating flexoelectric structures was successfully constructed.

    Conclusions:

    • Flexoelectric interactions can stabilize unique two-dimensional distorted liquid crystal phases.
    • These flexoelectric phases share analogies with cholesteric blue phases but possess distinct characteristics.
    • The study provides a theoretical framework for understanding flexoelectric-driven phase behavior in liquid crystals.