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arXiv · 1909.09659

Orientational ordering and layering of hard plates in narrow slit-like pores

Sakine Mizani·Roohollah Aliabadi·Hamdollah Salehi·Szabolcs Varga
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Abstract

We examine the ordering behavior of hard plate-like particle in a very narrow slit-like pore using the Parsons-Lee density functional theory and the restricted orientation approximation. We observe that the plates are orientationally ordered and align perpendicularly (face-on) to the walls at low densities, a first order layering transition occurs between uniaxial nematic structures having n and n+1 layers at intermediate densities and even a phase transition between a monolayer with parallel (edge-on) orientational order and n layers with perpendicular one can be detected at high densities. In addition to this, the edge-on monolayer is usually biaxial nematic and a uniaxial-biaxial nematic phase transition can be also seen at very high densities.

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Sakine Mizani, Roohollah Aliabadi, Hamdollah Salehi, Szabolcs Varga. 2019-09-20. Orientational ordering and layering of hard plates in narrow slit-like pores. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreve.100.032704

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