| Issue |
J. Phys. II France
Volume 3, Number 5, May 1993
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Page(s) | 661 - 680 | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/jp2:1993159 | |
J. Phys. II France 3 (1993) 661-680
Properties of uniaxial nematic liquid crystal of semiflexible even and odd dimers
Eugene Terentjev1 and Rolfe G. Petschek21 Cavendish Laboratory, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HE, Great-Britain
2 Physics Department, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, U.S.A.
(Received 2 November 1992, accepted in final form 8 February 1993)
Abstract
A microscopic model is developed to describe statistical properties of a nematic phase consisting of semiflexible dimers.
The effect of the spacer chain bonding the two mesogens is described by the local conditional probability in terms of a bare
stiffness parameter
and a bare equilibrium angle
between mesogenic monomers. In the framework of a molecular field approximaiton, taking into account long-range attraction
and steric repulsion between monomers, we obtain a complete statistical description of the namatic phase with expressions
for order parameter, mean-field potential, phase transition parameters and Frank elastic constants depending on details of
specific molecular structure. Comparison of results for dimers that are straight and bent in equilibrium and for corresponding
monomers reveals the effect of molecular biaxiality and biaxial fluctuations.
61.30B - 36.20
© Les Editions de Physique 1993