Abstract
What impact does the mesogens’ shape have on the formation of the liquid crystalline phase? Using Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations we numerically studied a liquid composed of achiral, bent-shaped molecules built of tangent spheres. The system is known to spontaneously break mirror symmetry, as it forms a macroscopically chiral, twist-bend nematic phase [Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 147801 (2015)]. We examined a full phase diagram by altering the molecules’ curvature along with packing fractions and observed several phases characterized by the orientational and/or translational ordering of molecules. Apart from conventional nematic, smectic A, and the aforementioned twist-bend nematic phase, we identified splay-bend smectic phase. For large densities and strongly curved molecules, another smectic phase emerged, where the polarization vector rotates within a single smectic layer.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have