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Related Concept Videos

Electrostatic Boundary Conditions in Dielectrics01:27

Electrostatic Boundary Conditions in Dielectrics

When an electric field passes from one homogeneous medium to another, crossing the boundary between the two mediums imparts a discontinuity in the electric field. This results in electrostatic boundary conditions that depend on the type of mediums the field propagates through.
Consider a case where both the mediums across a boundary are two different dielectric materials. Recall that the electric field and electric displacement are proportional and related through the material's permittivity.
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...
Gauss's Law in Dielectrics01:17

Gauss's Law in Dielectrics

Consider a polar dielectric placed in an external field. In such a dielectric, opposite charges on adjacent dipoles neutralize each other, such that the net charge within the dielectric is zero. When a polar dielectric is inserted in between the capacitor plates, an electric field is generated due to the presence of net charges near the edge of the dielectric and the metal plates interface. Since the external electrical field merely aligns the dipoles, the dielectric as a whole is neutral. An...
Electric Field at the Surface of a Conductor01:26

Electric Field at the Surface of a Conductor

Consider a conductor in electrostatic equilibrium. The net electric field inside a conductor vanishes, and extra charges on the conductor reside on its outer surface, regardless of where they originate.
In the 19th century, Michael Faraday conducted the famous ice pail experiment to prove that the charges always reside on the surface of a conductor. The experimental set-up consists of a conducting uncharged container mounted on an insulating stand. The outer surface of the container is...
Magnetic Fields01:27

Magnetic Fields

A moving charge or a current creates a magnetic field in the surrounding space, in addition to its electric field. The magnetic field exerts a force on any other moving charge or current that is present in the field. Like an electric field, the magnetic field is also a vector field. At any position, the direction of the magnetic field is defined as the direction in which the north pole of a compass needle points.
A magnetic field is defined by the force that a charged particle experiences...
Electrostatic Boundary Conditions01:16

Electrostatic Boundary Conditions

Consider an external electric field propagating through a homogeneous medium. When the electric field crosses the surface boundary of the medium, it undergoes a discontinuity. The electric field can be resolved into normal and tangential components. The amount by which the field changes at any boundary is given by the difference between the field components above and below the surface boundary.
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Flexoelectricity in nematic domain walls.

Steve J Elston1

  • 1Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.

Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
|September 4, 2008
PubMed
Summary

This study investigates flexoelectric effects in nematic liquid crystal domain walls. Researchers observed distinct electro-optic responses based on wall orientation, enabling the analysis of flexoelectric coefficients.

Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Soft Matter Physics

Background:

  • Flexoelectricity is a unique property of dielectrics, particularly prominent in liquid crystals.
  • Domain walls in liquid crystals exhibit complex distortions crucial for device performance.
  • The Freedericksz transition is a fundamental electro-optic phenomenon in liquid crystals.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate flexoelectric effects within domain walls of a nematic liquid crystal device.
  • To differentiate and study the two primary flexoelectric coefficient combinations (e1-e3 and e1+e3).
  • To utilize domain wall distortions for analyzing flexoelectric properties.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing a nematic liquid crystal device exhibiting the Freedericksz transition.

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  • Analyzing domain walls oriented parallel and perpendicular to the liquid crystal alignment direction.
  • Characterizing electro-optic effects arising from twist and splay-bend distortions.

    • Main Results:

    • Domain walls parallel to the alignment direction show strong twist distortion and an electro-optic effect dominated by e1-e3.
    • Domain walls perpendicular to the alignment direction exhibit strong splay-bend distortion and an electro-optic effect dominated by e1+e3.
    • The device design allows for the study of both flexoelectric coefficient combinations within a single experimental setup.

    Conclusions:

    • Domain wall geometry dictates the dominant flexoelectric response in nematic liquid crystals.
    • This approach provides a versatile platform for characterizing flexoelectric coefficients.
    • Understanding these effects is key for developing advanced liquid crystal electro-optic devices.