Hard Competition: Stabilizing the Elusive Biaxial Nematic Phase in Suspensions of Colloidal Particles with Extreme Lengths

Physical Review Letters
Simone DussiM Dijkstra

Abstract

We use computer simulations to study the existence and stability of a biaxial nematic N_{b} phase in systems of hard polyhedral cuboids, triangular prisms, and rhombic platelets, characterized by a long (L), medium (M), and short (S) particle axis. For all three shape families, we find stable N_{b} states provided the shape is not only close to the so-called dual shape with M=sqrt[LS] but also sufficiently anisotropic with L/S>9,11,14,23 for rhombi, (two types of) triangular prisms, and cuboids, respectively, corresponding to anisotropies not considered before. Surprisingly, a direct isotropic-N_{b} transition does not occur in these systems due to a destabilization of N_{b} by a smectic (for cuboids and prisms) or a columnar (for platelets) phase at small L/S or by an intervening uniaxial nematic phase at large L/S. Our results are confirmed by a density functional theory provided the third virial coefficient is included and a continuous rather than a discrete (Zwanzig) set of particle orientations is taken into account.

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Citations

Feb 1, 2019·Journal of Physics. Condensed Matter : an Institute of Physics Journal·Stiven Villada-GilJuan P Hernández-Ortiz
Sep 11, 2019·Physical Review. E·Christian D'UrsoGiorgio Cinacchi
Feb 14, 2019·Soft Matter·Alejandro CuetosAlessandro Patti
Jun 25, 2020·Physical Review. E·Alejandro Cuetos, Alessandro Patti
Jun 17, 2018·Physical Review. E·Yuri Martínez-RatónEnrique Velasco
Dec 18, 2020·Physical Review. E·Yuri Martínez-Ratón, Enrique Velasco

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