Structure of a liquid crystalline fluid around a macroparticle: Density functional theory study

TL;DR

This study uses density functional theory to analyze how a liquid crystalline fluid's structure varies around a macroparticle in both nematic and isotropic phases, revealing anisotropic and isotropic behaviors respectively.

Contribution

It provides a theoretical analysis of liquid crystal structure around macroparticles, aligning with simulation and phenomenological results, and extends understanding of phase-dependent structural behavior.

Findings

Nematic phase exhibits highly anisotropic structure around the macroparticle.

Isotropic phase shows rotationally invariant structure with an oriented surface layer.

Results agree with previous simulation and phenomenological studies.

Abstract

The structure of a molecular liquid, in both the nematic liquid crystalline and isotropic phases, around a cylindrical macroparticle, is studied using density functional theory. In the nematic phase the structure of the fluid is highly anisotropic with respect to the director, in agreement with results from simulation and phenomenological theories. On going into the isotropic phase the structure becomes rotationally invariant around the macroparticle with an oriented layer at the surface.