Displacement sensing with quasi-zero stiffness structure and flexoelectricity

Flexoelectricity is a strain-gradient-induced electromechanical coupling effect promising for high-resolution sensing. A novel displacement sensing method is developed based on long-range quasi-zero stiffness and flexoelectricity. The structure of curved beams is geometrically designed by optimizing the mechanical and flexoelectric responses. For the optimal configuration, the predicted load-displacement properties and flexoelectric polarization obtained based on finite element analyses agree well with experimental observations. Within the quasi-zero stiffness range, the exported flexoelectric charge shows significant linearity to structure deformation. This study contributes a novel approach for displacement sensing with the combination of quasi-zero stiffness and flexoelectricity, providing insights into applications of flexoelectricity in functional materials and structures.