We present a detailed Monte Carlo study of the effects of molecular biaxiality on the defect created at the centre of a nematic droplet with radial anchoring at the surface. We have studied a lattice model based on a dispersive potential for biaxial mesogens [Luckhurst et al., Mol. Phys. 30, 1345 (1975)] to investigate how increasing the biaxiality influences the molecular organisation inside the confined system. The results are compared with those obtained from a continuum theory approach. We find from both approaches that the defect core size increases by increasing the molecular biaxiality, hinting at a non universal behaviour previously not reported.
Chiccoli, C., Evangelista, L.R., Pasini, P., Skačej, G., Teixeira de Souza, R., Zannoni, C. (2018). On the Defect Structure of Biaxial Nematic Droplets. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 8(1), 2130-2130 [10.1038/s41598-018-20492-0].
On the Defect Structure of Biaxial Nematic Droplets
Zannoni, C
2018
Abstract
We present a detailed Monte Carlo study of the effects of molecular biaxiality on the defect created at the centre of a nematic droplet with radial anchoring at the surface. We have studied a lattice model based on a dispersive potential for biaxial mesogens [Luckhurst et al., Mol. Phys. 30, 1345 (1975)] to investigate how increasing the biaxiality influences the molecular organisation inside the confined system. The results are compared with those obtained from a continuum theory approach. We find from both approaches that the defect core size increases by increasing the molecular biaxiality, hinting at a non universal behaviour previously not reported.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
