Experimental approach for measuring cylindrical flexoelectric coefficients

Flexoelectricity is a property of dielectric materials by which applied strain gradients induce electric polarizations within dielectric materials. Experimental research into the tensor components of the flexoelectric coefficient is essential. In this work, an experimental approach for measurement of the flexoelectric coefficient tensor components in cylindrical coordinates is developed. Two different experimental methods are designed to obtain the two related unknown flexoelectric coefficient tensor components. Theoretical and finite element analyses are developed and simplified for each experiment, and the related designs are then tested to obtain the coupled electric polarization charges. The two unknown flexoelectric coefficient tensor components of polyvinylidene fluoride are then decoupled. This work provides an experimental method that can be used to obtain multiple unknown flexoelectric coefficient tensor components in solid dielectric materials.