Nonlinear Breakdown of Antisymmetric Flexoelectric Coupling

Abstract

Flexoelectric coupling is conventionally regarded as antisymmetric, such that reversing the strain gradient reverses the polarization direction while preserving its magnitude. Here we report that this antisymmetric coupling breaks down in noncentrosymmetric single crystals driven by large strain gradients, where nonlinearity becomes operative. Harmonic-resolved measurements reveal robust even-order flexoelectric harmonics that are forbidden in antisymmetric systems, as well as the three-wave mixing indicative of symmetry breaking under dual-frequency excitation. These frequency-relevant generations provide evidence for asymmetric flexoelectricity in the nonlinear regime. A reconstructed nonlinear constitutive framework consistently accounts for all observations by incorporating even-order strain-gradient terms. Our findings establish asymmetric flexoelectricity as an intrinsic electromechanical response and uncover a symmetry-breaking mechanism in flexoelectricity.