Flexoelectric Effect and Shock-Induced Polarization in Polar Liquids

An approach is proposed for determining the flexoelectric coefficient for polar liquids based on the results of an investigation of the polarization of dielectrics induced by an electric field and a shock wave. It is shown that the initial shock-induced polarization and the flexoelectric effect may be considered equivalent concepts linking the orientational polarization with the pressure gradient. The results of testing the approach on the experimental data for water and nitrobenzene give reason to believe that it can be used in estimating the polarization in inhomogeneous pressure fields.