English

Simulation of spherulite growth using a comprehensive approach to modeling the first-order isotropic/smectic-A mesophase transition

Chemical Physics 2009-08-20 v1 Soft Condensed Matter

Abstract

A comprehensive modeling and simulation study of the first-order isotropic/smectic-A transition is presented and applied to phase diagram computation and two-dimensional spherulite growth. An approach based on nonlinear optimization, that incorporates experimental data (from 12CB, dodecyl-cyanobiphenyl), is used to determine physically realistic model parameters. These parameters are then used in conjunction with an optimized phase diagram computation method. Additionally, a time-dependent formulation is presented and applied to the study of two-dimensional smectic-A spherulite growth. These results show the growth kinematics and defect dynamics of nanoscale smectic-A spherulite growth in an isotropic phase with an initially radial layer configuration.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.0807.4525,
  title  = {Simulation of spherulite growth using a comprehensive approach to modeling the first-order isotropic/smectic-A mesophase transition},
  author = {Nasser Mohieddin Abukhdeir and Alejandro D. Rey},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0807.4525},
  year   = {2009}
}