Yuheng Zhang Effect: Strain-Induced Electric Effect in Metals

摘要

As is known, the piezoelectric effect and electrostrictive effect exist in some ceramics and dielectric materials. However, such effects have never been discovered in conventional metals before. Here, strain-induced electric effect in conventional metals was first uncovered theoretically in this work. This effect may exhibit interesting properties: 1) free electrons in metals no longer obey Einstein diffusion relation but satisfy a new relation given in this work; 2) a metal with strain gradients at a uniform temperature is no longer an equal-electric potential body even without any external electromagnetic disturbances; 3) a metal possessing non-uniform strains may rectify electric current and behave as a p-n junction; 4) the long-standing physical puzzle for thermoelectric effect of metals, the positive sign of Seebeck coefficient for metals is unraveled by means of both thermal expansion and this effect; 5) a notable electric field maintains across shock wave front; 6) an electrical voltage appears at interface when phase transition happens, offering a new probe to detect phase transitions. In all, this effect may expand one’s fundamental knowledge on metals and find applications in various fields.