Phase Separation in Mixtures of Nematic and Isotropic Fluids
Soft Condensed Matter
2026-04-13 v1
Abstract
Mixtures of nematic liquid crystals and isotropic fluids display a diverse range of phase behaviors, arising from the coupling between orientational order and concentration fluctuations. In this review, we introduce a simplified mathematical framework that integrates the Landau-de Gennes free energy for nematic ordering with the Cahn-Hilliard free energy for phase separation. We derive the corresponding governing equations and analyze the stability of uniform phases, along with the resulting interfacial phenomena. The review concludes with a brief discussion highlighting key differences in phase separation between mixtures of isotropic fluids with passive and active nematics.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2503.24101,
title = {Phase Separation in Mixtures of Nematic and Isotropic Fluids},
author = {Margarida M. Telo da Gama and Rodrigo C. V. Coelho},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2503.24101},
year = {2026}
}