Flexoelectricity
Flexoelectricity is the generation of electric polarization in a dielectric material by a spatial gradient in strain. It differs from piezoelectricity, which responds to uniform strain.
Lightning defied explanation for a century. Colliding ice grains separate charge, but symmetric ice makes no electricity when pressed — piezoelectricity fails. In 2025, bending ice was shown to break symmetry and generate it: flexoelectricity.
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