--- trunk/tengDissertation/LiquidCrystal.tex 2006/06/17 17:02:33 2866 +++ trunk/tengDissertation/LiquidCrystal.tex 2006/06/17 18:43:58 2867 @@ -207,7 +207,251 @@ where $\epsilon _{fs}$ is the permittivity of free spa r_{ij} } \right)}}{{r_{ij}^5 }}} \right]} \end{equation} where $\epsilon _{fs}$ is the permittivity of free space. + +\section{Computational Methodology} + +A series of molecular dynamics simulations were perform to study the +phase behavior of banana shaped liquid crystals. + +In each simulation, rod-like polar molecules have been represented +by polar ellipsoidal Gay-Berne (GB) particles. The four parameters +characterizing G-B potential were taken as $\mu = 1,~ \nu = 2, +~\epsilon_{e}/\epsilon_{s} + = 1/5$ and $\sigma_{e}/\sigma_{s} = 3$. The components of the +scaled moment of inertia $(I^{*} = I/m \sigma_{s}^{2})$ along the +major and minor axes were $I_{z}^{*} = 0.2$ and $I_{\perp}^{*} = +1.0$. We used the reduced dipole moments $ \mu^{*} = \mu/(4 \pi +\epsilon_{fs} \sigma_{0}^{3})^{1/2}= 1.0$ for terminal dipole and + $ \mu^{*} = \mu/(4 +\pi \epsilon_{fs} \sigma_{0}^{3})^{1/2}= 0.5$ for second dipole, +where $\epsilon_{fs}$ was the permitivitty of free space. For all +simulations the position of the terminal dipole + has been kept + at a fixed distance $d^{*} = d/\sigma_{s} = 1.0 $ from the +centre of mass on the molecular symmetry axis. The second dipole +takes $d^{*} = d/\sigma_{s} = 0.0 $ i.e. it is on the centre of +mass. To investigate the molecular organization behaviour due to +different dipolar orientation with respect to the symmetry axis, we +selected dipolar angle $\alpha_{d} = 0$ to model terminal outward +longitudinal dipole and $\alpha_{d} = \pi/2$ to model transverse +outward dipole where the second dipole takes relative anti +antiparallel orientation with respect to the first. System of +molecules having a single transverse terminal dipole has also been +studied. We ran a series of simulations to investigate the effect of +dipoles on molecular organization. + +In each of the simulations 864 molecules were confined in a cubic +box with periodic boundary conditions. The run started from a +density $\rho^{*} = \rho \sigma_{0}^{3}$ = 0.01 with nonpolar +molecules loacted on the sites of FCC lattice and having parallel +orientation. This structure was not a stable structure at this +density and it was melted at a reduced temperature $T^{*} = k_{B}T/ +\epsilon_{0} = 4.0$ . We used this isotropic configuration which was +both orientationally and translationally disordered, as the initial +configuration for each simulation. The dipoles were also switched on +from this point. Initial translational and angular velocities were +assigned from the gaussian distribution of velocities. + +To get the ordered structure for each system of particular dipolar +angles we increased the density from $\rho^{*} = 0.01$ to $\rho_{*} += 0.3$ with an increament size of 0.002 upto $\rho^{*} = 0.1$ and +0.01 for the rest at some higher temperature. Temperature was then +lowered in finer steps to avoid ending up with disordered glass +phase and thus to help the molecules set with more order. For each +system this process required altogether $5 \times 10^{6}$ MC cycles +for equilibration. + +The torques and forces were calculated using velocity verlet +algorithm. The time step size $\delta t^{*} = \delta t/(m +\sigma_{0}^{2} / \epsilon_{0})^{1/2}$ was set at 0.0012 during the +process. The orientations of molecules were described by quaternions +instead of Eulerian angles to get the singularity-free orientational +equations of motion. + +The interaction potential was truncated at a cut-off radius $r_{c} = +3.8 \sigma_{0}$. The long range dipole-dipole interaction potential +and torque were handled by the application of reaction field method +~\cite{Allen87}. + +To investigate the phase structure of the model liquid crystal +family we calculated the orientational order parameter, correlation +functions. To identify a particular phase we took configurational +snapshots at the onset of each layered phase. + +The orientational order parameter for uniaxial phase was calculated +from the largest eigen value obtained by diagonalization of the +order parameter tensor + +\begin{equation} +\begin{array}{lr} +Q_{\alpha \beta} = \frac{1}{2 N} \sum(3 e_{i \alpha} e_{i \beta} +- \delta_{\alpha \beta}) & \alpha, \beta = x,y,z \\ +\end{array} +\end{equation} + +where $e_{i \alpha}$ was the $\alpha$ th component of the unit +vector $e_{i}$ along the symmetry axis of the i th molecule. +Corresponding eigenvector gave the director which defines the +average direction of molecular alignment. + +The density correlation along the director is $g(z) = < \delta +(z-z_{ij})>_{ij} / \pi R^{2} \rho $, where $z_{ij} = r_{ij} cos +\beta_{r_{ij}}$ was measured in the director frame and $R$ is the +radius of the cylindrical sampling region. + + +\section{Results and Conclusion} +\label{sec:results and conclusion} + +Analysis of the simulation results shows that relative dipolar +orientation angle of the molecules can give rise to rich +polymorphism of polar mesophases. + +The correlation function g(z) shows layering along perpendicular +direction to the plane for a system of G-B molecules with two +transverse outward pointing dipoles in fig. \ref{fig:1}. Both the +correlation plot and the snapshot (fig. \ref{fig:4}) of their +organization indicate a bilayer phase. Snapshot for larger system of +1372 molecules also confirms bilayer structure (Fig. \ref{fig:7}). +Fig. \ref{fig:2} shows g(z) for a system of molecules having two +antiparallel longitudinal dipoles and the snapshot of their +organization shows a monolayer phase (Fig. \ref{fig:5}). Fig. +\ref{fig:3} gives g(z) for a system of G-B molecules with single +transverse outward pointing dipole and fig. \ref{fig:6} gives the +snapshot. Their organization is like a wavy antiphase (stripe +domain). Fig. \ref{fig:8} gives the snapshot for 1372 molecules +with single transverse dipole near the end of the molecule. + +\begin{figure} +\begin{center} +\epsfxsize=3in \epsfbox{fig1.ps} +\end{center} +\caption { Density projection of molecular centres (solid) and +terminal dipoles (broken) with respect to the director g(z) for a +system of G-B molecules with two transverse outward pointing +dipoles, the first dipole having $d^{*}=1.0$, $\mu^{*}=1.0$ and the +second dipole having $d^{*}=0.0$, $\mu^{*}=0.5$} \label{fig:1} +\end{figure} + +\begin{figure} +\begin{center} +\epsfxsize=3in \epsfbox{fig2.ps} +\end{center} +\caption { Density projection of molecular centres (solid) and +terminal dipoles (broken) with respect to the director g(z) for a +system of G-B molecules with two antiparallel longitudinal dipoles, +the first outward pointing dipole having $d^{*}=1.0$, $\mu^{*}=1.0$ +and the second dipole having $d^{*}=0.0$, $\mu^{*}=0.5$} +\label{fig:2} +\end{figure} + +\begin{figure} +\begin{center} +\epsfxsize=3in \epsfbox{fig3.ps} +\end{center} +\caption {Density projection of molecular centres (solid) and +terminal + dipoles (broken) with respect to the director g(z) +for a system of G-B molecules with single transverse outward +pointing dipole, having $d^{*}=1.0$, $\mu^{*}=1.0$} \label{fig:3} +\end{figure} + +\begin{figure} +\centering \epsfxsize=2.5in \epsfbox{fig4.eps} \caption{Typical +configuration for a system of 864 G-B molecules with two transverse +dipoles, the first dipole having $d^{*}=1.0$, $\mu^{*}=1.0$ and the +second dipole having $d^{*}=0.0$, $\mu^{*}=0.5$. The white caps +indicate the location of the terminal dipole, while the orientation +of the dipoles is indicated by the blue/gold coloring.} +\label{fig:4} +\end{figure} + +\begin{figure} +\begin{center} +\epsfxsize=3in \epsfbox{fig5.ps} +\end{center} +\caption {Snapshot of molecular configuration for a system of 864 +G-B molecules with two antiparallel longitudinal dipoles, the first +outward pointing dipole + having $d^{*}=1.0$, $\mu^{*}=1.0$ and the second dipole having $d^{*}=0.0$, +$\mu^{*}=0.5$ (fine lines are molecular symmetry axes and small +thick lines show terminal dipolar direction, central dipoles are not +shown).} \label{fig:5} +\end{figure} + + +\begin{figure} +\begin{center} +\epsfxsize=3in \epsfbox{fig6.ps} +\end{center} +\caption {Snapshot of molecular configuration for a system of 864 +G-B molecules with single transverse outward pointing dipole, having +$d^{*}=1.0$, $\mu^{*}=1.0$ (fine lines are molecular symmetry axes +and small thick lines show terminal dipolar direction).} +\label{fig:6} +\end{figure} + +\begin{figure} +\begin{center} +\epsfxsize=3in \epsfbox{fig7.ps} +\end{center} +\caption {Snapshot of molecular configuration for a system of 1372 +G-B molecules with two transverse outward pointing dipoles, the +first dipole having $d^{*}=1.0$, $\mu^{*}=1.0$ and the second dipole +having $d^{*}=0.0$, $\mu^{*}=0.5$(fine lines are molecular symmetry +axes and small thick lines show terminal dipolar direction, central +dipoles are not shown).} \label{fig:7} +\end{figure} + +\begin{figure} +\begin{center} +\epsfxsize=3in \epsfbox{fig8.ps} +\end{center} +\caption {Snapshot of molecular configuration for a system of 1372 +G-B molecules with single transverse outward pointing dipole, having +$d^{*}=1.0$, $\mu^{*}=1.0$ (fine lines are molecular symmetry axes +and small thick lines show terminal dipolar direction).} +\label{fig:8} +\end{figure} + +Starting from an isotropic configuaration of polar Gay-Berne +molecules, we could successfully simulate perfect bilayer, antiphase +and monolayer structure. To break the up-down symmetry i.e. the +nonequivalence of directions ${\bf \hat {n}}$ and ${ -\bf \hat{n}}$, +the molecules should have permanent electric or magnetic dipoles. +Longitudinal electric dipole interaction could not form polar +nematic phase as orientationally disordered phase with larger +entropy is stabler than polarly ordered phase. In fact, stronger +central dipole moment opposes polar nematic ordering more +effectively in case of rod-like molecules. However, polar ordering +like bilayer $A_{2}$, interdigitated $A_{d}$, and wavy $\tilde A$ in +smectic layers can be achieved, where adjacent layers with opposite +polarities makes bulk phase a-polar. More so, lyotropic liquid +crystals and bilayer bio-membranes can have polar layers. These +arrangements appear to get favours with the shifting of longitudinal +dipole moment to the molecular terminus, so that they can have +anti-ferroelectric dipolar arrangement giving rise to local (within +the sublayer) breaking of up-down symmetry along the director. +Transverse polarity breaks two-fold rotational symmetry, which +favours more in-plane polar order. However, the molecular origin of +these phases requires something more which are apparent from the +earlier simulation results. We have shown that to get perfect +bilayer structure in a G-B system, alongwith transverse terminal +dipole, another central dipole (or a polarizable core) is required +so that polar head and a-polar tail of Gay-Berne molecules go to +opposite directions within a bilayer. This gives some kind of +clipping interactions which forbid the molecular tail go in other +way. Moreover, we could simulate other varieties of polar smectic +phases e.g. monolayer $A_{1}$, antiphase $\tilde A$ successfully. +Apart from guiding chemical synthesization of ferroelectric, +antiferroelectric liquid crystals for technological applications, +the present study will be of scientific interest in understanding +molecular level interactions of lyotropic liquid crystals as well as +nature-designed bio-membranes. + \section{\label{liquidCrystalSection:methods}Methods} \section{\label{liquidCrystalSection:resultDiscussion}Results and Discussion} + +\section{Conclusion}