Issue 7, 2025

Instabilities, thermal fluctuations, defects and dislocations in the crystal–RI–RII rotator phase transitions of n-alkanes

Abstract

The theoretical study of instabilities, thermal fluctuations, and topological defects in the crystal–rotator-I–rotator-II (X–RI–RII) phase transitions of n-alkanes has been conducted. First, we examine the nature of the RI–RII phase transition in nanoconfined alkanes. We propose that under confined conditions, the presence of quenched random orientational disorder makes the RI phase unstable. This disorder-mediated transition falls within the Imry-Ma universality class. Next, we discuss the role of thermal fluctuations in certain rotator phases, as well as the influence of dislocations on the X–RI phase transition. Our findings indicate that the herringbone order in the X-phase and the hexatic order in the RII-phase exhibit quasi-long-range characteristics. Furthermore, we find that in two dimensions, the unbinding of dislocations does not result in a disordered liquid state.

Graphical abstract: Instabilities, thermal fluctuations, defects and dislocations in the crystal–RI–RII rotator phase transitions of n-alkanes

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Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
05 Oct 2024
Accepted
22 Dec 2024
First published
17 Jan 2025

Soft Matter, 2025,21, 1353-1362

Instabilities, thermal fluctuations, defects and dislocations in the crystal–RI–RII rotator phase transitions of n-alkanes

S. K. Ganguly and P. K. Mukherjee, Soft Matter, 2025, 21, 1353 DOI: 10.1039/D4SM01170H

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