Analysis of Flexoelectric Hollow Cylinder with Thermopolarization Effect

Classic thermoelectric coupling effects, such as the Seebeck effect, Peltier effect, and Thomson effect, highlight the significant impact of temperature on the electrical properties of materials. In contrast to these traditional effects, recent studies have identified the emergence of thermopolarization effects, where temperature gradients induce polarization changes in materials, leading to heat flow. Moreover, temperature gradients can also result in strain gradients within the material, which, unlike the piezoelectric effect, can induce polarization, giving rise to the flexoelectric effect. Despite the growing interest in thermopolarization phenomena, there remains a lack of thorough qualitative and quantitative analysis. In this study, we present a thermo-electro-elastic coupling model for an isotropic hollow cylinder incorporating thermopolarization and flexoelectric effects. This model necessitates modifications to the heat conduction equation, constitutive equation, and governing equation. Through numerical simulations, the impact of thermopolarization coefficient and flexoelectric coefficient on radial displacement, temperature, potential, and electrical displacement is investigated. The results show that the steady-state radial displacement and temperature initially increase and then decrease with variations in the thermal polarization coefficient. Moreover, an increase in the thermal polarization coefficient speeds up the thermo-electro-elastic coupling process towards a steady state. Additionally, mutual interactions between flexoelectric and thermal polarization effects are observed. This comprehensive model provides valuable insights for the design and optimization of microelectronic devices.