One-dimensional theoretical analysis of coupling and confinement effects on the cybotactic clusters of bent-core nematic liquid crystals

作     者：Sourav Patranabish Yiwei Wang Aloka Sinha Apala Majumdar 

作者机构：Department of Physics Indian Institute of Technology Delhi Hauz Khas New Delhi 110016 India School of Mathematical Sciences Peking University Beijing 100871 China Department of Mathematical Sciences University of Bath Bath BA2 7AY England United Kingdom 

出 版 物：《Physical Review E》 (物理学评论E辑：统计、非线性和软体物理学)

年 卷 期：2019年第99卷第1期

页      面：012703-012703页

核心收录：

学科分类：07[理学] 070203[理学-原子与分子物理] 0702[理学-物理学] 

基　　金：Keble Advanced Studies Centre Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, IIITD 

主　　题：Patterns in complex systems 

摘      要：The bent-core liquid crystals (LCs) are highly regarded as the next-generation materials for electro-optic devices. The nematic (N) phase of these LCs possesses highly ordered smecticlike cybotactic clusters which are promising for electro-optic applications. We have studied a one-dimensional Landau–de Gennes model of spatially inhomogeneous order parameters for the N phase of bent-core LCs. We investigate the effects of spatial confinement and coupling (between these clusters and the surrounding LC molecules modeled by a coupling parameter γ) on the order parameters. The coupling is found to increase the cluster order parameter significantly, suggesting enhancement in cluster formation, and also predicts a transition to a phase with weak nematiclike ordering above the nematic supercooling temperature.