Faculty of Physics - University of Bucharest

UNIVERSITY OF BUCHAREST
FACULTY OF PHYSICS

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Conference: Bucharest University Faculty of Physics 2006 Meeting

Section: Polymer Physics

Title:

Random anisotropy nematic model:nematic-non-nematic mixture

Authors:

Vlad Popa-Nita (1), Samo Kralj (2)

Affiliation:

(1)Faculty of Physics, University of Bucharest

(2)Faculty of Education,University of Maribor, Slovenia

E-mail

Keywords:

random-anisotropy,liquid crystal

Abstract:

The influence of a random-anisotropy type disorder on the phase separation of the nematogen-non-nematogen mixture is studied. A combination of the phenomenological Landau-de Gennes and Flory-Huggins theories is used. We assume that the non-nematogen component ( i.e., impurity) enforces the random anisotropy disorder to the liquid crystal. The Imry-Ma argument is used according to which the lower-temperature phase exhibits a domain-type pattern. The impurities enforce a finite degree of orientational order even in the high-temperature phase. In the lower temperature phase, they give rise to a domain-type structure, resulting in the distorted nematic phase. Consequently the structure of the phase-separated pattern is more complex than in the case of the absence of the random field.