Moreno Mateos MA (2023)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2023
Book Volume: 102
Article Number: 105106
DOI: 10.1016/j.euromechsol.2023.105106
Flexoelectric sensors respond with an electric polarization when they are subjected to inhomogeneous deformation. When these are based on polymeric materials, the electro-mechanical coupling relates to the loss of microstructural symmetries of the polar polymer chains. The object of this work is to explore the mechanisms that induce flexoelectricity in soft (co)polymers via a micromechanical model that explicitly considers the spatial composition distribution of polymer chains. To this end, we analyze the deformation of the Arruda–Boyce 8-chain cell under inhomogeneous deformation and its influence on the overall polarization resulting from the polar monomers. Cells with random-walk chains and tailored degree of entanglement feed Monte Carlo simulations to inform an effective chain dipole that drives the flexoelectric polarization. Homogeneous stretch/compression of the cell accompanying bending deformation reinforce the flexoelectric response. In addition, we focus on stochastic chain-growth processes and the insertion of different types of polar monomers within a same chain. Here, we introduce a model where reactivity ratios of real copolymerization reactions control the resulting flexoelectric coupling. Since the framework allows to relate the effective flexoelectric polarization to any structural isomer distribution, it is especially convenient to model copolymers. Overall, the model is proposed as a versatile framework to explore the intricacies of flexoelectric (co)polymers and to foster the design of flexoelectric devices from real manufacturing parameters.
APA:
Moreno Mateos, M.A. (2023). A gradient micromechanical model to explore flexoelectric copolymers via stochastic chain growth. European Journal of Mechanics A-Solids, 102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euromechsol.2023.105106
MLA:
Moreno Mateos, Miguel Angel. "A gradient micromechanical model to explore flexoelectric copolymers via stochastic chain growth." European Journal of Mechanics A-Solids 102 (2023).
BibTeX: Download