What Promotes Smectic Order: Applying Mean Field Theory to the Ends

Abstract

Not every particle that forms a nematic liquid crystal makes a smectic. The particle tip is critical for this behaviour. Ellipsoids do not make a smectic, but sphero-cylinders do. Similarly, only those N-CB alkylcyanobiphenyls with sufficiently long ($N\ge 8$ carbons) alkane tails form smectics. We understand the role of the particle tip in the smectic transition by means of a simple two-dimensional model. We model sphero-cylinders by "boubas" with rounded tips, and ellipsoids by "kikis" with pointed tips. The N-CB molecules are modelled by a small body with a polymer tail. We find that rounded tips and longer polymer tails lead to a smectic at lower densities by making the space between layers less accessible, destabilizing the nematic.

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References in corpus (2)

• Phase diagram of two-dimensional hard rods from fundamental mixed measure density functional theory
• Isotropic-nematic transition in hard-rod fluids: relation between continuous and restricted-orientation models

Cited by in corpus (2)

• Shaping boundaries to control and transport topological defects in colloidal nematic liquid crystals
• Sensitive particle shape dependence of growth-induced mesoscale nematic structure