Glass Formation in the Gay-Berne Nematic Liquid Crystal

TL;DR

This study uses molecular dynamics simulations to investigate glass formation in the Gay-Berne nematic liquid crystal, revealing a transition to a metastable phase with nematic order and frozen degrees of freedom, influenced by quench rate.

Contribution

It demonstrates how quench rate affects the local structure and phase behavior during glass formation in Gay-Berne nematic liquid crystals.

Findings

Fast quench rates produce nematic-like local structures.

Slower quench rates lead to smectic order.

A glass transition to a metastable nematic phase was observed.

Abstract

We present the results of molecular dynamics simulations of the Gay-Berne model of liquid crystals, supercooled from the nematic phase. We find a glass transition to a metastable phase with nematic order and frozen translational and orientational degrees of freedom. For fast quench rates the local structure is nematic-like, while for slower quench rates smectic order is present as well.