Non-uniformities in polymer/liquid crystal mixtures |
| |
Authors: | A Matsuyama RML Evans ME Cates |
| |
Institution: | (1) Department of Chemistry for Materials, Faculty of Engineering, Mie University, Tsu Mie 514-8507, Japan, JP;(2) Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK, GB;(3) Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ, UK, GB |
| |
Abstract: | We theoretically model the nucleation of nematic droplets during phase ordering in mixtures of a flexible polymer and a low-molecular-weight
liquid crystal. By appealing to classical nucleation theory (CNT), we calculate the energy barrier to nucleation and the size
of a critical nucleus. We study the influence of a metastable intermediate phase on the nucleation of the nematic. Below a
triple point in the phase diagram, there are two distinct mechanisms for the formation of a nematic nucleus: 1) direct nucleation
from the isotropic phase and 2) nucleation via a precursor metastable isotropic phase. We calculate the crossover concentration as a function of temperature, delineating
the regions of the phase diagram in which each mechanism prevails. In the latter case, the presence of a hidden metastable
isotropic-isotropic binodal may either promote or delay the nucleation of a nematic phase.
Received 9 August 2002
RID="a"
ID="a"e-mail: matuyama@chem.mie-u.ac.jp |
| |
Keywords: | PACS 61 30 -v Liquid crystals – 61 30 St Lyotropic phases – 64 90 +b Other topics in equations of state phase equilibria and phase transitions |
本文献已被 PubMed SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|