Related papers: Orientational Ordering in Sequence-Disordered Liqu…
How condensed-matter simulations depend on the number of molecules being simulated ($N$) is sometimes itself a valuable piece of information. Liquid crystals provide a case in point. Light scattering and $2d$-IR experiments on…
We experimentally investigate the nature of 2D phase transitions in a quasi-2D granular fluid. Using a surface decorated with periodically spaced dimples we observe interfacial tension between coexisting liquid and crystal phases.…
Due to the lack of long-range order, it remains challenging to characterize the structure of disordered solids and understand the nature of the glass transition. Here we propose a new structural order parameter by taking into account…
Optical polarimetry measurements of the orientational order of a discotic liquid crystal based on a pyrene derivative and confined in parallel-aligned nanochannels of monolithic mesoporous alumina, silica, and silicon as a function of…
A four-state model is proposed for description of the sequence of phase transitions in ferroelectric crystals of DMAGaS and DMAAlS type. The ordering processes in the subsystems of DMA groups are considered as a main reason of such…
We investigate - with Monte Carlo computer simulations - the phase behaviour of dimeric colloidal molecules on periodic substrates with square symmetry. The molecules are formed in a two-dimensional suspension of like charged colloids…
Control of order-disorder phase transitions is a fundamental materials science challenge, underpinning the development of energy storage technologies such as solid oxide fuel cells and batteries, ultra-high temperature ceramics, and durable…
The dynamics of the domains is studied in a two-dimensional model of the microphase separation of diblock copolymers in the vicinity of the transition. A criterion for the validity of the mean field theory is derived. It is shown that at…
We develop the scaled particle theory to describe the thermodynamic properties and orientation ordering of a binary mixture of hard spheres (HS) and hard spherocylinders (HSC) confined in a disordered porous medium. Using this theory the…
Smectic materials represent a unique state between fluids and solids, characterized by orientational and partial positional order, making them notoriously difficult to model, particularly in confining geometries. We propose a complex order…
Orientational dynamics in the isotropic phase of a comb-shaped nematic polymer with mesogenic and functional side groups was studied using the Kerr effect and dielectric spectroscopy. For the first time, it was found that in a mesogenic…
A model for a monolayer of two types of particles spontaneously forming ordered patterns is studied by a mesoscopic theory and by MC simulations. We assume hard-cores of the same size for both components, short-range attraction long-range…
We generalize the earlier theory by Fredrickson [J. Rheol. v.38, 1045 (1994)] to study the orientational behaviour of the hexagonal phase of diblock copolymer melt subjected to steady shear flow. We use symmetry arguments to show that the…
The phase behavior of helical packings of thermoresponsive microspheres inside glass capillaries is studied as a function of volume fraction. Stable packings with long-range orientational order appear to evolve abruptly to disordered states…
Disorder-induced effects on plasmon coupling in chains of metallic nanoparticles are studied within a dipole model, by considering two types of disorder: fluctuations of the particles' shapes and fluctuations of their positions. Typical…
Phase separation of intrinsically disordered proteins is important for the formation of membraneless organelles, or biomolecular condensates, which play key roles in the regulation of biochemical processes within cells. In this work, we…
Metal oxides such as VO$_2$ undergo structural transitions to low-symmetry phases characterized by intricate crystalline order, accompanied by rich electronic behavior. We derive a minimal ionic Hamiltonian based on symmetry and local…
Phase separation, crucial for spatially segregating biomolecules in cells, is well-understood in the simple case of a few components with pairwise interactions. Yet, biological cells challenge the simple picture in at least two ways: First,…
When short-range attractions are combined with long-range repulsions in colloidal particle systems, complex microphases can emerge. Here, we study a system of isotropic particles which can form lamellar structures or a disordered fluid…
Curved particles have been shown to stabilize a range of states with unique order in dense suspensions of colloidal bent core liquid crystals. The shape of the colloidal rods encourages the formation of curved director fields. However,…