Cubatic phase for tetrapods
arXiv:cond-mat/0401003 · doi:10.1063/1.1649733
Abstract
We investigate the phase behavior of tetrapods, hard non-convex bodies formed by 4 rods connected under tetrahedral angles. We predict that, depending on the relative lengths of the rods these particles can form a uniaxial nematic phase, and more surprisingly they can exhibit a cubatic phase, a special case of the biaxial nematic phase. These predictions may be experimentally testable, as experimental realizations of tetrapods have recently become available.
8 pages ReVTeX 4, including 3 EPS figures
Cited by in corpus (6)
- Phase Behavior of Colloidal Superballs: Shape Interpolation from Spheres to Cubes
- Empty smectics of hard nanorings: insights from a second-virial theory
- Classifying local anisotropy formed by rigid molecules: symmetries and tensors
- Quasi-entropy by log-determinant covariance matrix and application to liquid crystals
- Generic first-order phase transitions between isotropic and orientational phases with polyhedral symmetries
- Computer simulation study of a mesogenic lattice model based on long-range dispersion interactions