The director and molecular dynamics of the field-induced alignment of a Gay–Berne nematic phase: An isothermal-isobaric nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulation study

Abstract

Isothermal-isobaric molecular dynamics simulations have been performed for the generic Gay–Berne (GB) mesogen, GB(4.4, 20.0, 1, 1), to investigate director and molecular rotational motion during the field-induced alignment of a nematic. The alignment process for the director is discussed within the context of a hydrodynamic analysis based on the Ericksen–Leslie theory and this is found to predict the simulated behavior well. The dependence of the relaxation time for the alignment on the field strength is also in good accord with the theory. The rotational viscosity coefficient estimated from the simulation is smaller than that typically observed for real nematics and the possible reasons for this are discussed. However, the simulation results are found to follow not only the theory but also the experiments, at least qualitatively. No significant variation in the local and long-range structure of the nematic phase is found during the field-induced alignment process. In addition, we have explored the molecular dynamics in the nematic phase in the presence of the field using the first- and second-rank time autocorrelation functions. More importantly we are able to show that the director relaxation time is longer than that for molecular rotation. It is also possible to use the two orientational correlation times to explore the relationship between the rotational viscosity coefficient and the rotational diffusion constant. The diffusion constants determined from the orientational correlation times, based on the short-time expansion of the autocorrelation functions, are found to be significantly different. In consequence it is not possible to test, unambiguously, the relationship between the rotational viscosity coefficient and the rotational diffusion constant. However, it would seem that the second-rank rotational correlation time provides the most reliable route to the rotational viscosity coefficient.