# Lattice-Boltzmann simulation of free nematic-isotropic interfaces

## TL;DR

This paper employs a hybrid lattice Boltzmann and finite difference approach to simulate and analyze the behavior of nematic-isotropic interfaces in liquid crystals, focusing on interface stability, velocity, and domain stabilization.

## Contribution

It introduces a hybrid simulation method to study nematic-isotropic interfaces, providing new insights into interface stability, velocity, and domain stabilization near coexistence.

## Key findings

- Interface is static at coexistence temperature
- Profile width matches theoretical predictions
- Circular domains stabilized by temperature shifts

## Abstract

We use a hybrid method of lattice Boltzmann and finite differences to simulate flat and curved interfaces between the nematic and isotropic phases of a liquid crystal described by the Landau-de Gennes theory. For the flat interface, we measure the interfacial velocity at different temperatures around the coexistence. We show that the interface is completely static at the coexistence temperature and that the profile width is in line with the theoretical predictions. The interface is stable in a range of temperatures around coexistence and disappears when one of the two phases becomes mechanically unstable. We stabilize circular nematic domains by a shift in temperature, related to the Laplace pressure, and estimate the spurious velocities of these lattice Boltzmann simulations.