Biaxiality-induced magnetic field effects in bent-core nematics: molecular field and Landau theory
Biaxiality-induced magnetic field effects in bent-core nematics: molecular field and Landau theory
Nematic liquid crystals composed of bent-core molecules exhibit unusual properties, including an enhanced Cotton-Mouton effect and an increasing isotropic (paranematic)-nematic phase transition temperature as a function of magnetic field. These systems are thought to be good candidate biaxial liquid crystals. Prompted by these e xperiments, we investigate theoretically the effect of molecular biaxiality on magnetic field-induced phenomena for nematic liquid crystals, using both molecular field and Landau theory. The geometric mean approximation is used in order to specify the degree of molecular biaxiality using a single parameter. We reproduce experimental field-induced phenomena, and predict also an experimentally accessible magnetic critical point. The Cotton-Mouton effect and temperature dependence of the paranematic-nematic phase transition are more pronounced with increased molecular biaxiality. We compare our theoretical approaches and make contact with recent relevant experimental results on bent-core molecular systems.
062506-[15pp]
To, Tung
82b77b8d-0ea0-45ca-930a-e944be4d2dc5
Sluckin, Timothy J.
8dbb6b08-7034-4ae2-aa65-6b80072202f6
Luckhurst, Geoffrey R.
7807d1c6-54a1-414f-9abe-22de4d9c30f7
12 December 2013
To, Tung
82b77b8d-0ea0-45ca-930a-e944be4d2dc5
Sluckin, Timothy J.
8dbb6b08-7034-4ae2-aa65-6b80072202f6
Luckhurst, Geoffrey R.
7807d1c6-54a1-414f-9abe-22de4d9c30f7
To, Tung, Sluckin, Timothy J. and Luckhurst, Geoffrey R.
(2013)
Biaxiality-induced magnetic field effects in bent-core nematics: molecular field and Landau theory.
Physical Review E, 88, .
(doi:10.1103/PhysRevE.88.062506).
Abstract
Nematic liquid crystals composed of bent-core molecules exhibit unusual properties, including an enhanced Cotton-Mouton effect and an increasing isotropic (paranematic)-nematic phase transition temperature as a function of magnetic field. These systems are thought to be good candidate biaxial liquid crystals. Prompted by these e xperiments, we investigate theoretically the effect of molecular biaxiality on magnetic field-induced phenomena for nematic liquid crystals, using both molecular field and Landau theory. The geometric mean approximation is used in order to specify the degree of molecular biaxiality using a single parameter. We reproduce experimental field-induced phenomena, and predict also an experimentally accessible magnetic critical point. The Cotton-Mouton effect and temperature dependence of the paranematic-nematic phase transition are more pronounced with increased molecular biaxiality. We compare our theoretical approaches and make contact with recent relevant experimental results on bent-core molecular systems.
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to,sluckin&luckhurst2013_preprint.pdf
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Published date: 12 December 2013
Organisations:
Applied Mathematics
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Local EPrints ID: 369794
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/369794
ISSN: 1539-3755
PURE UUID: ad712388-a317-408e-9faf-550769bc5f34
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Date deposited: 13 Oct 2014 12:08
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 02:32
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Author:
Tung To
Author:
Geoffrey R. Luckhurst
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