Flexoelectric effect in GeTe

Germanium telluride (GeTe), being chemically and structurally very simple, possesses a plethora of functional properties. It is a semiconductor that becomes a superconductor under pressure, a high-temperature ferroelectric, a model phase-change material, a good thermoelectric and the material with a giant Rashba effect. In this work, by means of first-principle simulations and electrical measurements we demonstrate that thin slabs of GeTe may be flexoelectrics. In combination with the Rashba effect these findings suggest a new – mechanical – way to control the materials spin properties paving way to creation of novel spintronic devices.