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Updated: Jul 22, 2025

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
Published on: May 15, 2017
Phase transitions and topological defects in discotic liquid crystal droplets with planar anchoring: a Monte Carlo
Daniel Salgado-Blanco1,2, Enrique Díaz-Herrera3, José A Martínez-González4
1División de Materiales Avanzados, IPICYT, Camino a la Presa San José 2055, 78216, San Luis Potosí, S. L. P. 78216, Mexico.
Abstract:
In this work we present the results of Monte Carlo (MC) simulations at the isothermal-isobaric ensemble for a discotic liquid crystal (DLC) droplet whose surface promotes edge-on (planar) anchoring. For a given pressure, we simulate an annealing process that enables observation of phase transitions within the spherical droplet. In particular, we report a first order isotropic-nematic transition as well as a nematic-columnar transition at the center of the droplet. We found the appearance of topological defects consisting of two disclination lines with ends at the surface of the sphere. We also observed that both transitions, isotropic-nematic and nematic-columnar, occur at lower temperatures as compared to the unconfined system.
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