Rotational diffusion of shape-switching particles dissolved in biaxial liquid crystals

Abstract

ABSTRACT The interpretation of many experimental or computational studies on the orientational dynamics of molecules dissolved in liquid crystals relies on assuming some stochastic model for their time evolution. The Rotational Diffusion model is typically employed for this purpose, representing the molecules being monitored as rigid particles. However, this is not a realistic assumption for many molecules or nanoparticles in solution, and we have previously proposed a model to describe the rotational diffusion of a shape-changing particle dissolved in uniaxial fluids. Here, we extend the model allowing the host medium to be of biaxial symmetry, and we apply the theory to a simple example case, as well as exploring its general features.