Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 11, 2026

High-Contrast and Fast Photorheological Switching of a Twist-Bend Nematic Liquid Crystal
Published on: October 31, 2019
The isotropic-to-nematic phase transition in hard helices: theory and simulation
Elisa Frezza1, Alberta Ferrarini, Hima Bindu Kolli
1Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università di Padova, Padova, Italy.
Abstract:
We investigate the isotropic-to-nematic phase transition in systems of hard helical particles, using Onsager theory and Monte Carlo computer simulations. Motivation of this work resides in the ubiquity of the helical shape motif in many natural and synthetic polymers, as well as in the well known importance that the details of size and shape have in determining the phase behaviour and properties of (soft) condensed matter systems. We discuss the differences with the corresponding spherocylinder phase diagram and find that the helix parameters affect the phase behaviour and the existence of the nematic phase. We find that for high helicity Onsager theory significantly departs from numerical simulations even when a modified form of the Parsons-Lee rescaling is included to account for the non-convexity of particles.
Related Concept Videos
Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing
¹H NMR of Conformationally Flexible Molecules: Variable-Temperature NMR
¹H NMR of Conformationally Flexible Molecules: Temporal Resolution
Phase Diagram
Mechanisms of Membrane-bending
Membrane bending can happen due to intrinsic changes in lipid composition or extrinsic association with different proteins. The proteins involved...
Phase Transitions

