Free planar isotropic-nematic interfaces in binary hard-rod fluids

2003/09/17 by Kostya Shundyak, Rene van Roij
Physics and Astronomy · #cond-mat.soft

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physreve.68.061703

published as Physical Review E 68, 061703 (2003) · 14 pages, 11 figures

arxiv created 2003/09/17 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01

Abstract

Within the Onsager theory we study free planar isotropic-nematic interfaces in binary mixtures of hard rods. For sufficiently different particle shapes the bulk phase diagrams of these mixtures exhibit a triple point, where an isotropic (I) phase coexists with two nematic phases (N₁ and N₂) of different composition. For all explored mixtures we find that upon approach of the triple point the IN₂ interface shows complete wetting by an intervening N₁ film. We compute the surface tensions of isotropic-nematic interfaces, and find a remarkable increase with fractionation, similar to the effect in polydisperse hard-rod fluids.

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