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arXiv · 2301.00267

What Promotes Smectic Order: Applying Mean Field Theory to the Ends

David A. King·Randall D. Kamien
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Abstract

Not every particle that forms a nematic liquid crystal makes a smectic. The particle tip is critical for this behaviour. Ellipsoids do not make a smectic, but sphero-cylinders do. Similarly, only those N-CB alkylcyanobiphenyls with sufficiently long ($N\ge 8$ carbons) alkane tails form smectics. We understand the role of the particle tip in the smectic transition by means of a simple two-dimensional model. We model sphero-cylinders by "boubas" with rounded tips, and ellipsoids by "kikis" with pointed tips. The N-CB molecules are modelled by a small body with a polymer tail. We find that rounded tips and longer polymer tails lead to a smectic at lower densities by making the space between layers less accessible, destabilizing the nematic.

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David A. King, Randall D. Kamien. 2022-12-31. What Promotes Smectic Order: Applying Mean Field Theory to the Ends. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreve.107.064702

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