Physicists finally measure long-predicted flexoelectricity in graphene wrinkles

Researchers have experimentally confirmed a prediction made nearly 20 years ago: sharp atomic-scale wrinkles in graphene separate electrical charges. Polarization in these folds was 100,000 to 10 million times stronger than in gentle bends. The findings were published in Advanced Materials.

• Sharpest wrinkles are compressed into spaces a few atoms wide, under a nanometer
• Polarization there is 100,000 to 10 million times stronger than in gentle bends
• The effect appeared at about 1 V applied; no power generation without a source
• The prediction was published in Physical Review B nearly 20 years ago