Electro-osmosis and flexo-electricity in the dowser texture

Abstract

Abstract.: Due to its low symmetry, the long-lived pseudo-planar texture, dubbed “the dowser texture”, has a flexo-electric spontaneous polarisation 𝐏fe. Being degenerated, the dowser texture is easily aligned by the electric torque Γ= 𝐏fe× 𝐄 acting on 𝐏. The dowser texture can also be aligned by Poiseuille flows driven by electro-osmosis. The hydrodynamic torques due to the electro-osmotic flows are linear in 𝐄 like the electrical one. It is shown that in 5CB the electro-osmotic flows can alter measurements of the flexo-electric polarisation. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].