Award Abstract # 2210083
Electromechanical Effects of Ferroelectric Nematic Liquid Crystals

NSF Org: DMR
Division Of Materials Research
Recipient: KENT STATE UNIVERSITY
Initial Amendment Date: July 11, 2022
Latest Amendment Date: July 29, 2024
Award Number: 2210083
Award Instrument: Continuing Grant
Program Manager: Tomasz Durakiewicz
tdurakie@nsf.gov
 (703)292-4892
DMR
 Division Of Materials Research
MPS
 Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Start Date: September 1, 2022
End Date: August 31, 2026 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $831,761.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $652,668.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2022 = $201,970.00
FY 2023 = $239,595.00

FY 2024 = $211,103.00
History of Investigator:
  • Antal Jakli (Principal Investigator)
    ajakli@kent.edu
  • Samuel Sprunt (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • James Gleeson (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • ROBERT TWIEG (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: Kent State University
1500 HORNING RD
KENT
OH  US  44242-0001
(330)672-2070
Sponsor Congressional District: 14
Primary Place of Performance: Kent State University
Office of the Comptroller
Kent
OH  US  44242-0001
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
14
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): KXNVA7JCC5K6
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s): CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
Primary Program Source: 01002223DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
01002324DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT

01002425DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT

01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 059E, 8396, 8611
Program Element Code(s): 171000
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.049

ABSTRACT

Non-Technical Description:
This project focuses on investigating liquid crystals which exhibit a recently discovered special property called ?ferroelectric nematic phase?. Ferroelectric nematic materials are remarkable in that even though they carry no net electric charge, they generate a spontaneous electric field, somewhat analogously to how certain materials such as iron become magnetic without the action of an external agent. Moreover, because ferroelectric nematics are fluid, the direction of their permanent electric orientation can be altered with a relatively small applied voltage. These properties make ferroelectric neumatic materials very attractive for new technological solutions for motion-control and energy conversion, which are important in applications ranging from soft robotics to green electricity generation. The project enables mentoring students at all levels in physics, chemistry and materials science, with a special focus on under-represented groups via the McNair Scholar and Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs. It provides young scientists with interdisciplinary training that enable them to secure productive careers in cutting-edge STEM enterprise. An additional priority is the integration of highlights of the team?s research into hands-on, publicly accessible educational materials.

Technical Description:
Linear electromechanical coupling is an inherent property of ferroelectric materials, but has previously been explored only in crystals, polymers, and positionally ordered liquid crystals. The project?s research on ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals (FNLCs) explores the specific dependence of this coupling on both polarization and nanostructure. Complementary flexoelectricity studies illuminate the elastic and electric properties and reveal the role of ferroelectricity on flexoelectricity. The team?s materials? synthesis effort furnishes an expanding library of FNLC compounds with optimized properties. Various experimental techniques are deployed to measure key material parameters, including ferroelectric polarization, dielectric constants, elastic constants, orientational viscosities, and intermolecular correlations that test current models predicting spatial modulation of the polarization orientation as an important feature of the ferroelectric phase. Detailed characterization of the collective molecular fluctuations elucidates the nature of phase transitions between different variants of polar nematic phases and explains variations of the electromechanical effects in antiferroelectric, ferroelectric, and modulated phases. The basic experimental results guide the way to new, comprehensive microscopic theories in addition to providing pathways to potential applications in emerging technologies such as soft robotics and clean electric energy generation.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

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(Showing: 1 - 10 of 15)
Adaka, A and Guragain, P and Perera, K and Nepal, P and Almatani, B and Sprunt, S and Gleeson, J and Twieg, R J and Jákli, A "A ferroelectric nematic liquid crystal vitrified at room temperature" Liquid Crystals , 2024 https://doi.org/10.1080/02678292.2024.2345214 Citation Details
Adaka, A and Guragain, P and Perera, K and Nepal, P and Twieg, R J and Jákli, A "Low field electrocaloric effect at isotropicferroelectric nematic phase transition" Soft Matter , v.21 , 2025 https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sm00979g Citation Details
Adaka, Alex and Rajabi, Mojtaba and Haputhantrige, Nilanthi and Sprunt, Samuel and Lavrentovich, Oleg D and Jákli, Antal "Dielectric properties of a ferroelectric nematic material: quantitative test of the polarization-capacitance Goldstone mode" Physical review letters , 2024 Citation Details
Himel, Md_Sakhawat Hossain and Perera, Kelum and Adaka, Alex and Guragain, Parikshit and Twieg, Robert J and Sprunt, S and Gleeson, James T and Jákli, Antal "Electrically Tunable Chiral Ferroelectric Nematic Liquid Crystal Reflectors" Advanced Functional Materials , v.35 , 2025 https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202413674 Citation Details
Kodithuwakku_Arachchige, Mahesha and Siddiquee, Zakaria and Baza, Hend and Twieg, Robert and Lavrentovich, Oleg_D and Jákli, Antal "Directional Swimming of B. Subtilis Bacteria Near a Switchable Polar Surface" Small , v.21 , 2024 https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202403088 Citation Details
Máthé, Marcell T. and Perera, Kelum and Buka, Ágnes and Salamon, Péter and Jákli, Antal "Fluid Ferroelectric Filaments" Advanced Science , v.11 , 2023 https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202305950 Citation Details
Máthé, Marcell Tibor and Éber, Nándor and Buka, Ágnes and Nishikawa, Hiroya and Araoka, Fumito and Jákli, Antal and Salamon, Péter "Reorientation of ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals under out-of-plane electric and magnetic fields" Journal of Molecular Liquids , v.428 , 2025 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2025.127525 Citation Details
Máthé, Marcell Tibor and Farkas, Bendegúz and Péter, László and Buka, Ágnes and Jákli, Antal and Salamon, Péter "Electric field-induced interfacial instability in a ferroelectric nematic liquid crystal" Scientific Reports , v.13 , 2023 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-34067-1 Citation Details
Máthé, Marcell Tibor and Himel, Md Sakhawat Hossain and Adaka, Alex and Gleeson, James T. and Sprunt, Samuel and Salamon, Péter and Jákli, Antal "Liquid Piezoelectric Materials: Linear Electromechanical Effect in Fluid Ferroelectric Nematic Liquid Crystals" Advanced Functional Materials , v.34 , 2024 https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202314158 Citation Details
Máthé, Marcell Tibor and Nishikawa, Hiroya and Araoka, Fumito and Jákli, Antal and Salamon, Péter "Electrically Activated Ferroelectric Nematic Microrobots" Nature communications , 2024 Citation Details
Máthé, Marcell Tibor and Nishikawa, Hiroya and Araoka, Fumito and Jákli, Antal and Salamon, Péter "Ramification and labyrinth instabilities in a ferroelectric nematic fluid exposed to electric fields" Journal of Molecular Liquids , v.413 , 2024 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2024.126047 Citation Details
(Showing: 1 - 10 of 15)

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