Issue 6, 2020

Automated determination of n-cyanobiphenyl and n-cyanobiphenyl binary mixtures elastic constants in the nematic phase from molecular simulation

Abstract

New applications of liquid crystalline materials have increased the need for precise engineering of elastic properties. Recently, Sidky et al. [H. Sidky, J. J. de Pablo, and J. K. Whitmer Phys. Rev. Lett., 2018, 120, 107801] presented methods by which the elastic coefficients of molecular models with atomistic detail can be accurately calculated, demonstrating the result for the ubiquitous mesogen 5CB. However, it is beneficial to future applications to demonstrate how the process may be refined into a precise tool for engineering functional materials. In this work, these techniques are applied to the homologous series of nCB materials and their binary mixtures, focusing on the standard bend, twist, and splay deformations, using an automated process. Our results show exceptional agreement with published experimental measurements for the nCBs and present a path forward to computational molecular engineering of liquid crystal elasticity for novel molecules and mixtures.

Graphical abstract: Automated determination of n-cyanobiphenyl and n-cyanobiphenyl binary mixtures elastic constants in the nematic phase from molecular simulation

Associated articles

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
24 May 2019
Accepted
29 May 2020
First published
12 Jun 2020

Mol. Syst. Des. Eng., 2020,5, 1131-1136

Author version available

Automated determination of n-cyanobiphenyl and n-cyanobiphenyl binary mixtures elastic constants in the nematic phase from molecular simulation

J. Shi, H. Sidky and J. K. Whitmer, Mol. Syst. Des. Eng., 2020, 5, 1131 DOI: 10.1039/C9ME00065H

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements