| The Landau-de Gennes theory provides a successful macroscopic description of nematics. Cornerstone of this theory is a phenomenological expression for the effective free energy as a function of the orientational order parameter. Here, we show how such a macroscopic Landau-de Gennes free energy can systematically be constructed for a microscopic model of liquid crystals formed by interacting mesogens. For the specific example of the Gay-Berne model, we obtain an enhanced free energy that reduces to the familiar Landau-de Gennes expression in the limit of weak ordering. By carefully separating energetic and entropic contributions to the free energy, our approach reconciles the two traditional views on the isotropic-nematic transition of Maier-Saupe and Onsager, attributing the driving mechanism to attractive interactions and entropic effects, respectively.
for LaTeX users @article{BGupta2013-5,
author = {B. Gupta and P. Ilg},
title = {Energetic and Entropic Contributions to the Landau-de Gennes Potential for Gay-Berne Models of Liquid Crystals},
journal = {Polymers},
volume = {5},
pages = {328-343},
year = {2013}
}
\bibitem{BGupta2013-5} B. Gupta, P. Ilg,
Energetic and Entropic Contributions to the Landau-de Gennes Potential for Gay-Berne Models of Liquid Crystals,
Polymers {\bf 5} (2013) 328-343.BGupta2013-5
B. Gupta, P. Ilg
Energetic and Entropic Contributions to the Landau-de Gennes Potential for Gay-Berne Models of Liquid Crystals
Polymers,5,2013,328-343 |
mk@mat.ethz.ch
1 out of 810 entries requested
[H-factor to-date: > 0]
