Low–temperature biaxial nematic from rod and disc mesogen mixture

Abstract

Molecular dynamics computer simulations have been employed to demonstrate that the addition of a suitable uniaxial discotic nematic to a biaxial nematic (N_b) of elongated mesogens can give rise to a low temperature N_b liquid crystal (where the rod-like particles would form a biaxial smectic). The two species are made to be fully miscible over the entire isotropic and nematic temperature range by a suitable parameterisation of shapes and pair interactions. The disc-like mesogen, even though not forming a biaxial nematic by itself gives a stable low-temperature discotic nematic which strongly disfavours the formation of columnar and smectic phases in the two-component system.