Flexoelectric catalysis: mechanisms, material designs, and synergistic strategies

The emergence of the flexoelectric effect (i.e., the linear electromechanical coupling between strain gradient and charge polarization) in a wide range of materials suggests a new catalytic mechanism in mechanocatalysis for activating chemical bonds and reactions. This review comprehensively summarizes the recent developments of flexoelectric catalysis, including its theoretical foundations, experimental breakthroughs, and advanced materials. It commences with the brief history and underlying mechanisms of flexoelectricity and flexoelectric catalysis. Then, the recent strategies for improving the performance of flexoelectric catalysts are reviewed. Subsequently, multi-field coupling strategies that can be used to achieve superior performance are discussed. Finally, the prevailing technical challenges together with the future directions are outlined, positing that flexoelectric catalysis is poised to bridge fundamental materials science with scalable clean energy solutions.