Cubatic phase for tetrapods

Ronald Blaak; Bela M. Mulder; Daan Frenkel

doi:10.1063/1.1649733

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arXiv · cond-mat/0401003

Cubatic phase for tetrapods

Ronald Blaak·Bela M. Mulder·Daan Frenkel

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Abstract

We investigate the phase behavior of tetrapods, hard non-convex bodies formed by 4 rods connected under tetrahedral angles. We predict that, depending on the relative lengths of the rods these particles can form a uniaxial nematic phase, and more surprisingly they can exhibit a cubatic phase, a special case of the biaxial nematic phase. These predictions may be experimentally testable, as experimental realizations of tetrapods have recently become available.

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Ronald Blaak, Bela M. Mulder, Daan Frenkel. 2004-01-01. Cubatic phase for tetrapods. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1649733

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