Oxygen-defective electrostrictors for soft electromechanics

Electromechanical metal oxides, such as piezoceramics, are often incompatible with soft polymers due to their crystallinity requirements, leading to high processing temperatures. This study explores the potential of ceria-based thin films as electromechanical actuators for flexible electronics. Oxygen-deficient fluorites, like cerium oxide, are centrosymmetric nonpiezoelectric crystalline metal oxides that demonstrate giant electrostriction. These films, deposited at low temperatures, integrate seamlessly with various soft substrates like polyimide and PET. Ceria thin films exhibit remarkable electrostriction (