Charge ordering induces a smectic phase in oblate ionic liquid crystals
arXiv:1004.2324 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.137801
Abstract
We report a computer simulation study of an electroneutral mixture of oppositely charged oblate ellipsoids of revolution with aspect ratio A = 1/3. In contrast to hard or soft repulsive ellipsoids, which are purely nematic, this system exhibits a smectic-A phase in which charges of equal sign are counterintuitively packed in layers perpendicular to the nematic director.