Flexoelectricity is a property of liquid crystals similar to the piezoelectric effect. In certain anisotropic materials, which contain molecular asymmetry or quadrupolar ordering with permanent molecular dipoles, an applied electric field may induce an orientational distortion. Conversely any distortion will induce a macroscopic polarisation within the material.
Since the flexoelectric effect induces different distortions for positive and negative voltages it may be used to allow a different form of switching than when the dielectric effect is utilised.
Current work in this area considers a simple 1-d model of a zenithally bistable cell (see figure below) and how it may be switched using the flexoelectric effect.
Figure: A simple 1-d model of a bistable cell. The lower substrate allows two director orientations, parallel or perpendicular to the surface.
Reference:
A. J. Davidson and N. J. Mottram, Flexoelectric switching in a bistable nematic device, University of Strathclyde, Physical Review E, 65, 051710 (2002). [pdf]