Statistical models of mixtures with a biaxial nematic phase

Abstract

We consider a simple Maier-Saupe statistical model with the inclusion of disorder degrees of freedom to mimic the phase diagram of a mixture of rod-like and disc-like molecules. A quenched distribution of shapes leads to the existence of a stable biaxial nematic phase, in qualitative agreement with experimental findings for some ternary lyotropic liquid mixtures. An annealed distribution, however, which is more adequate to liquid mixtures, precludes the stability of this biaxial phase. We then use a two-temperature formalism, and assume a separation of relaxation times, to show that a partial degree of annealing is already sufficient to stabilize a biaxial nematic structure.

11 pages, 2 figures

References in corpus (1)

• Landau-deGennes Theory of Biaxial Nematics Re-examined

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• Biaxial nematic order in fundamental measure theory
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• Phase behavior of a lattice-gas model for biaxial nematics
• Modulated phases in a three-dimensional Maier-Saupe model with competing interactions
• Tricritical behavior of soft nematic elastomers
• Partial annealing of a coupled mean-field spin-glass model with an embedded pattern