Phase organization of mesogen-decorated spherical nanoparticles

We present a Monte Carlo simulation study of the phase behavior and molecular organizations observed in a system of nanoparticles constituted by a central spherical core with attached mesogenic groups, which we model with a set of suitable Gay–Berne units connected by flexible spacers. We show that the choice of radial or tangential orientation of the attached mesogenic groups with respect to the surface of the core is crucial for the resulting phase behavior