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Peer-reviewedCC BYPhysical review. E

Flexoelectricity-driven softening of bend elasticity leads to spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking in a polar fluid

  • Aitor Erkoreka1
  • Josu Martínez-Perdiguero1
  • Luka Cmok2,3
  • Ema Hanžel2,3
  • J N Hobbs4
  • Calum J. Gibb4
  • Richard John Mandle4
  • Nerea Sebastián2
  • Alenka Mertelj2
4 affiliations
  1. 1University of the Basque Country
  2. 2Jožef Stefan Institute
  3. 3University of Ljubljana
  4. 4University of Leeds
Open at sourceDOICite

Abstract

The origin of the recently observed spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking in polar fluids composed of achiral molecules is an unsolved problem, raising fundamental questions about how heliconical structures emerge in such systems. Here, we investigate the pretransitional fluctuations leading to the formation of the spontaneously chiral twist-bend ferroelectric nematic phase using dielectric spectroscopy, light scattering, and small-angle x-ray scattering. We observe simultaneous softening of the bend elastic constant and the emergence of a collective dielectric mode on approaching the transition. By developing a theoretical model, we show that these phenomena are signatures of a flexoelectricity-driven transition arising from the coupling between electric polarization and bend deformation.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{erkoreka2026flexoelectricitydriven,
  title = {{Flexoelectricity-driven softening of bend elasticity leads to spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking in a polar fluid}},
  author = {Aitor Erkoreka and Josu Martínez-Perdiguero and Luka Cmok and Ema Hanžel and J N Hobbs and Calum J. Gibb and Richard John Mandle and Nerea Sebastián and Alenka Mertelj},
  journal = {Physical review. E},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1103/m11g-4rj9},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1103/m11g-4rj9},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Flexoelectricity-driven softening of bend elasticity leads to spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking in a polar fluid
AU  - Aitor Erkoreka
AU  - Josu Martínez-Perdiguero
AU  - Luka Cmok
AU  - Ema Hanžel
AU  - J N Hobbs
AU  - Calum J. Gibb
AU  - Richard John Mandle
AU  - Nerea Sebastián
AU  - Alenka Mertelj
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/17
JO  - Physical review. E
DO  - 10.1103/m11g-4rj9
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1103/m11g-4rj9
AB  - The origin of the recently observed spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking in polar fluids composed of achiral molecules is an unsolved problem, raising fundamental questions about how heliconical structures emerge in such systems. Here, we investigate the pretransitional fluctuations leading to the formation of the spontaneously chiral twist-bend ferroelectric nematic phase using dielectric spectroscopy, light scattering, and small-angle x-ray scattering. We observe simultaneous softening of the bend elastic constant and the emergence of a collective dielectric mode on approaching the transition. By developing a theoretical model, we show that these phenomena are signatures of a flexoelectricity-driven transition arising from the coupling between electric polarization and bend deformation.
SN  - 2470-0045
SN  - 2470-0053
SN  - 2470-0061
ER  -