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.
On the Defect Structure of Biaxial Nematic Droplets / Chiccoli, C; Evangelista, L R; Pasini, P; Skačej, G; Teixeira de Souza, R; Zannoni, C. - In: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS. - ISSN 2045-2322. - STAMPA. - 8:1(2018), pp. 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.
