Objectif Piezoelectric materials transduce electrical voltage into mechanical strain and vice-versa, which makes them ubiquitous in sensors, actuators, and energy harvesting systems. Flexoelectricity is a related but different effect, by which electric polarization is coupled to strain gradients, i.e. it requires inhomogeneous deformation. Flexoelectricity is present in a much wider variety of materials, including non-polar dielectrics and polymers, but is only significant at small length-scales. Flexoelectricity has demonstrated its potential in information technologies, by flexoelectric-mediated mechanical writing in ferroelectric thin films at the nanoscale, or in flexoelectric electromechanical transducers. It has been suggested that flexoelectricity could enable piezoelectric composites made out of non-piezoelectric components, including soft materials, which could be used in biocompatible and self-powered small-scale devices. Flexoelectricity is a nascent field with major open questions. Furthermore, experimental devices and material designs are limited by what we can understand and analyze, and unfortunately, we lack general engineering analysis tools for flexoelectricity. As a result, current flexoelectric devices are only minimal variations of configurations conceived within the uniform-strain mindset of piezoelectricity. Our main objective in this proposal is to develop an advanced computational infrastructure to quantify flexoelectricity in solids, focusing on continuum models but also exploring multiscale aspects. We plan to use it to (1) analyze accurately flexoelectricity accounting for general geometries, electrode configurations, and material behavior, (2) identify new physics emerging flexoelectricity, and (3) propose, build and test a new generation of thin-film devices, composites and metamaterials for electromechanical transduction, genuinely designed to exploit small-scale flexoelectricity and make it available at macroscopic scales. Champ scientifique engineering and technologymaterials engineeringcompositesengineering and technologymaterials engineeringcoating and filmsengineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensorsengineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectrical engineeringpiezoelectricsengineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsenergy conversion Mots‑clés Flexoelectricity computational mechanics of materials multifunctional metamaterials electromechanical modeling of solids multiscale material modeling ferroelectric materials materials design Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Thème(s) ERC-StG-2015 - ERC Starting Grant Appel à propositions ERC-2015-STG Voir d’autres projets de cet appel Régime de financement ERC-STG - Starting Grant Institution d’accueil UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE CATALUNYA Contribution nette de l'UE € 1 500 000,00 Adresse CALLE JORDI GIRONA 31 08034 Barcelona Espagne Voir sur la carte Région Este Cataluña Barcelona Type d’activité Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Liens Contacter l’organisation Opens in new window Site web Opens in new window Participation aux programmes de R&I de l'UE Opens in new window Réseau de collaboration HORIZON Opens in new window Coût total € 1 500 000,00 Bénéficiaires (1) Trier par ordre alphabétique Trier par contribution nette de l'UE Tout développer Tout réduire UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE CATALUNYA Espagne Contribution nette de l'UE € 1 500 000,00 Adresse CALLE JORDI GIRONA 31 08034 Barcelona Voir sur la carte Région Este Cataluña Barcelona Type d’activité Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Liens Contacter l’organisation Opens in new window Site web Opens in new window Participation aux programmes de R&I de l'UE Opens in new window Réseau de collaboration HORIZON Opens in new window Coût total € 1 500 000,00