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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)

Elasticity‐Driven Periodic Polarization Patterns in a Chiral Ferroelectric Nematic Fluid

  • Anej Sterle1,2
  • Peter Medle Rupnik1,2
  • Luka Cmok1,2,3
  • Aitor Erkoreka4
  • Marta Lavrič1
  • Natan Osterman1,2
  • Calum J. Gibb5
  • Jordan Hobbs6
  • Josu Martinez‐Perdiguero4
  • Richard J. Mandle5,6
  • Alenka Mertelj1
  • Nerea Sebastián1
6 affiliations
  1. 1Jožef Stefan Institute Ljubljana Slovenia
  2. 2Faculty of Mathematics and Physics University of Ljubljana Ljubljana Slovenia
  3. 3CENN Nanocenter Ljubljana Slovenia
  4. 4Department of Physics Faculty of Science and Technology University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU Bilbao Spain
  5. 5School of Chemistry University of Leeds Leeds UK
  6. 6School of Physics and Astronomy University of Leeds Leeds UK
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Abstract

Ferroelectric nematic phases are a new class of polar fluids in which spontaneous polarization is directly coupled to the orientational order, providing unique opportunities for creating self‐organized materials with spatially modulated electric polarization and nonlinear optical response. Here we report the spontaneous emergence of polarization‐modulated textures in a chiral ferroelectric nematic material close to the transition to the chiral twist‐bend ferroelectric nematic phase. By systematically varying cell thickness and surface anchoring conditions, we map the formation of these modulated states, revealing stripe, square, and hexagonal morphologies determined via confinement conditions. These structures are directly translated into periodic modulation of the nonlinear optical response, as evidenced by second harmonic generation imaging. Comparison with an elasticity‐based theoretical framework and numerical free energy minimization shows that the instability originates from the softening of the bend elastic constant in the chiral nematic phase as the system approaches the lower‐temperature heliconical polar phase. The resulting elastic frustration, combined with confinement, drives the formation of spatially periodic director distortions, highlighting ferroelectric nematic fluids as a promising platform for self‐assembled nonlinear optical materials.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{sterle2026elasticitydriven,
  title = {{Elasticity‐Driven Periodic Polarization Patterns in a Chiral Ferroelectric Nematic Fluid}},
  author = {Anej Sterle and Peter Medle Rupnik and Luka Cmok and Aitor Erkoreka and Marta Lavrič and Natan Osterman and Calum J. Gibb and Jordan Hobbs and Josu Martinez‐Perdiguero and Richard J. Mandle and Alenka Mertelj and Nerea Sebastián},
  journal = {Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1002/adma.75002},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.75002},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Elasticity‐Driven Periodic Polarization Patterns in a Chiral Ferroelectric Nematic Fluid
AU  - Anej Sterle
AU  - Peter Medle Rupnik
AU  - Luka Cmok
AU  - Aitor Erkoreka
AU  - Marta Lavrič
AU  - Natan Osterman
AU  - Calum J. Gibb
AU  - Jordan Hobbs
AU  - Josu Martinez‐Perdiguero
AU  - Richard J. Mandle
AU  - Alenka Mertelj
AU  - Nerea Sebastián
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/23
JO  - Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
DO  - 10.1002/adma.75002
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.75002
AB  - Ferroelectric nematic phases are a new class of polar fluids in which spontaneous polarization is directly coupled to the orientational order, providing unique opportunities for creating self‐organized materials with spatially modulated electric polarization and nonlinear optical response. Here we report the spontaneous emergence of polarization‐modulated textures in a chiral ferroelectric nematic material close to the transition to the chiral twist‐bend ferroelectric nematic phase. By systematically varying cell thickness and surface anchoring conditions, we map the formation of these modulated states, revealing stripe, square, and hexagonal morphologies determined via confinement conditions. These structures are directly translated into periodic modulation of the nonlinear optical response, as evidenced by second harmonic generation imaging. Comparison with an elasticity‐based theoretical framework and numerical free energy minimization shows that the instability originates from the softening of the bend elastic constant in the chiral nematic phase as the system approaches the lower‐temperature heliconical polar phase. The resulting elastic frustration, combined with confinement, drives the formation of spatially periodic director distortions, highlighting ferroelectric nematic fluids as a promising platform for self‐assembled nonlinear optical materials.
SN  - 0935-9648
SN  - 1521-4095
ER  -