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Updated: Sep 30, 2025

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
Published on: May 15, 2017
Equilibrium phases and domain growth kinetics of calamitic liquid crystals
Nishant Birdi1, Tom L Underwood2, Nigel B Wilding3
1School of Interdisciplinary Research, Indian Institute of Technology, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India.
Abstract:
The anisotropic shape of calamitic liquid crystal (LC) particles results in distinct values of energy when the nematogens are placed side by side or end to end. This anisotropy in energy which is governed by a parameter κ^{'} has deep consequences on equilibrium and nonequilibrium properties. Using the Gay-Berne (GB) model, which exhibits the nematic (Nm) as well as the low-temperature smectic (Sm) order, we undertake large-scale Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations to probe the effect of κ^{'} on the equilibrium phase diagram and the nonequilibrium domain growth following a quench in the temperature T or coarsening. There are two transitions in the GB model: (i) isotropic to Nm at T_{c}^{1} and (ii) Nm to Sm at T_{c}^{2}
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