Monte Carlo simulations of chiral and achiral nematic droplets: thermal quenches and role of the elastic constants

ABSTRACT

We used Monte Carlo simulations with an elastically anisotropic pairwise potential to simulate the equilibrium structure of chiral and achiral nematic liquid crystals in spherical confinement under perpendicular and tangential strong anchoring. The stable structures are obtained by a quenching process, where the temperature is a parameter of the system. We calculate and map the distribution of elastic energy corresponding to splay, twist, and bend. Furthermore, we study the effect of changing the ratio of the elastic constants for achiral and low chirality droplets and found a diverse scenario of possible structures. The method described here allows the introduction of temperature and elastic anisotropy naturally within its framework. It is simpler to implement and faster to execute than the Landau-de Gennes (LdG) method used for simulating liquid crystal droplets.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• Droplets
• nematics
• chiral nematics
• liquid crystals
• elastic anisotropy

Acknowledgement

The authors thank CNPq and CAPES for their financial support. Research developed with the support of LAMAP – UTFPR.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was partially supported by the National Institutes of Science and Technology of Complex Fluids—INCT-CF (R.S.Z.). R. S. Z. thanks CNPQ process number [304634/2020-4].