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Phase behavior and defect structure of soft rods on a sphere.
Jaydeep Mandal1, Hartmut Löwen2, Prabal K Maiti1
1Department of Physics, Centre for Condensed Matter Theory, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India.
The Journal of Chemical Physics
|February 11, 2026
Summary
A nematic phase emerges in soft spherocylinders confined to a sphere only above a critical aspect ratio. Ordered phases exhibit topological defects, with transitions driven by packing fraction changes.
Area of Science:
- Soft matter physics
- Complex fluids
- Materials science
Background:
- Understanding phase behavior of confined soft matter is crucial for materials design.
- Topological defects in ordered phases influence macroscopic properties.
- Spherical confinement introduces unique geometric constraints on phase formation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compute the phase diagram of soft repulsive spherocylinders on a sphere.
- To investigate the role of aspect ratio and packing fraction on phase transitions.
- To characterize the topological defects in different phases.
Main Methods:
- Particle-resolved molecular-dynamics simulations were employed.
- The phase diagram was computed for varying aspect ratios and packing fractions.
- Defect structures and charges were analyzed in detail.
Main Results:
- Crystal, smectic, and isotropic phases are stable for all aspect ratios.
- A nematic phase emerges for aspect ratios > 8.0-9.0.
- Ordered phases exhibit a total orientational defect charge of +2, with specific defect configurations for crystal, smectic, and nematic phases.
Conclusions:
- The emergence of the nematic phase is dependent on a critical aspect ratio.
- Packing fraction drives transitions from crystal to smectic to nematic phases via defect dynamics.
- Findings are relevant for Pickering emulsions and epithelial tissue morphogenesis.
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