High-κ elastomer with dispersed ferroelectric nematic liquid crystal microdroplets

Abstract

Ferroelectrics with reversible spontaneous polarization are commonly employed as crucial additives or bulk components in high-κ materials. They are typically found in crystalline solid materials, such as poly(vinylidene difluoride) and inorganic ceramics. Recently, an emergent class of liquid ferroelectrics was developed, with a combination of giant dielectric constant, high polarization density, and fluidity. In this work, liquid ferroelectric microdroplets were dispersed in a polymer network to develop a stretchable high-κ elastomer for the first time. The liquid ferroelectrics exhibit high room-temperature phase stability and excellent compatibility with the polydimethylsiloxane network. The resulting composites exhibit characteristic ferroelectric-like hysteresis loops under an electric field, behaving like ‘intrinsic’ polymer ferroelectrics, while maintaining excellent stretchability. This simple strategy of dispersing liquid ferroelectrics is expected to significantly expand the range of material species and physical properties of ferroelectric polymers or elastomers. The developed high-κ ferroelectric composites hold tremendous potential for applications in emerging wearable electronics and next-generation soft robots.