Self-organisation and alignment properties of homeotropically confined model liquid crystalline dendrimer systems

ABSTRACT

Controlling microscopic or macroscopic alignment of liquid crystalline dendrimers (LCDrs) in a porous media is an important feature for their possible potential applications. Here, we investigate structural and alignment behaviours of model LCDr system confined in a slit pore made of two parallel impenetrable walls. Isobaric–isothermal (NPT) Monte Carlo computational simulation method is used. A coarse-grained force field for inter-/intra-dendritic and LCDr-substrate interactions has been established. The inner surfaces of confining walls are made to induce homeotropic anchoring condition. According to simulation results, a variety of stable-ordered LCDr system states have been observed and analysed depending on the temperature and pressure.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• Liquid crystalline dendrimer
• homeotropic anchoring
• Monte Carlo simulation
• isobaric–isothermal
• slit pore

Acknowledgement

Zerihun G. Workineh acknowledges Marie Curie Initial Training Network FP7- PEOPLE-2007 for the financial support through the ITN-215884 DENDREAMERS project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.