Huge transverse Maxwell stress in ferroelectric fluids and prototyping of new ferroelectric motors.

ABSTRACT: Electrostatic actuators typically rely on Maxwell stress, whereas the use of transverse electrostatic force (TEF) has been overlooked because of its weakness. The discovery of polar nematic liquid crystals in 2017 changed this, enabling lower operating voltages and high output power. We here explore TEF in a ferroelectric fluid and demonstrate a ferroelectric motor based on a new driving principle. Using ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals, we show that TEF can elevate the fluid between electrodes with a gap of 2.5 mm up to more than 80 mm at only 28 V mm^-1, corresponding to a stress greater than 1000 N m^-2. Polarization analysis also revealed a continuous paraelectric-to-ferroelectric transition. Unlike electromagnetic motors, ferroelectric motors require no metal

SUBMITTER: Tsukamoto T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12630727 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature