Orientation and rotation of cholesteric liquid crystals relative to a heat flow studied by molecular dynamics simulation and implications for the Lehmann effect.

Alignment effects caused by a heat flow in the cholesteric liquid crystal phase of three coarse grained molecular model systems based on the Gay-Berne potential have been studied by molecular dynamics simulation. In order to keep the systems homogeneous, the Evans heat flow algorithm, where a fictitious mechanical heat field rather than a temperature gradient drives the heat flow, was used. It was found that the cholesteric axis orients in such a way that the heat flow and thereby the irreversible energy dissipation rate are minimized.

Diffusion-driven rotation in cholesteric liquid crystals studied using molecular dynamics simulation of a mixture of the Gay-Berne fluid and the Lennard-Jones fluid.

Diffusion-driven rotation in cholesteric liquid crystals has been studied using molecular dynamics simulation. Then a chemical potential gradient parallel to the cholesteric axis induces a torque that rotates the director at a constant rate around this axis, besides driving a mass current. An equimolar mixture of Gay-Berne ellipsoids and Lennard-Jones spheres was used as the molecular model.

Microscopic shear flow simulations of a biaxial smectic A liquid crystal based on the soft ellipsoid string-fluid.

We have studied the behaviour of a biaxial smectic A liquid crystal based on the soft ellipsoid string-fluid in shear flow by molecular dynamics simulation using the SLLOD equation of motion. This is facilitated by the fact that the biaxial symmetry allows linear relations between the pressure and the velocity gradient. This means that linear irreversible thermodynamics can be applied independently of the simulations to obtain the torques determining the orientations of the system and that the predictions of this theory can be cross-checked by the simulations.

Microstructural and Dynamical Heterogeneities in Ionic Liquids.

Ionic liquids (ILs) are a special category of molten salts solely composed of ions with varied molecular symmetry and charge delocalization. The versatility in combining varied cation-anion moieties and in functionalizing ions with different atoms and molecular groups contributes to their peculiar interactions ranging from weak isotropic associations to strong, specific, and anisotropic forces. A delicate interplay among intra- and intermolecular interactions facilitates the formation of heterogeneous microstructures and liquid morphologies, which further contributes to their striking dynamical properties.

Shear flow simulations of smectic liquid crystals based on the Gay-Berne fluid and the soft sphere string-fluid.

We have studied the shear flow of the smectic A phase of three coarse grained liquid crystal model systems, namely two versions of the Gay-Berne fluid and the soft sphere string-fluid. At low shear rates, the orientation where the smectic layers are parallel to the shear plane and the orientation parallel to the vorticity plane are both stable in all the systems. In one of the Gay-Berne fluids, there is a transition from the orientation parallel to the shear plane to the orientation parallel to the vorticity plane.

Rheology of phosphonium ionic liquids: a molecular dynamics and experimental study.

We have studied the rheological behavior of the ionic liquid trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium bis(mandelato)borate, [P66614][BMB], and compared it with that of another ionic liquid, namely trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium chloride, [P66614][Cl]. The non-halogenated [P66614][BMB] has been selected as it is known to provide enhanced lubrication performance and is, consequently, of technological importance. The ionic liquid [P66614][Cl], despite its relatively simple anion, exhibits viscosities very similar to those of [P66614][BMB], making it an excellent reference fluid for the modeling study.

Microstructures and dynamics of tetraalkylphosphonium chloride ionic liquids.

Atomistic simulations have been performed to investigate the effect of aliphatic chain length in tetraalkylphosphonium cations on liquid morphologies, microscopic ionic structures, and dynamical quantities of tetraalkylphosphonium chloride ionic liquids. The liquid morphologies are characterized by sponge-like interpenetrating polar and apolar networks in ionic liquids consisting of tetraalkylphosphonium cations with short aliphatic chains. The lengthening aliphatic chains in tetraalkylphosphonium cations lead to polar domains consisting of chloride anions and central polar groups in cations being partially or totally segregated in ionic liquid matrices due to a progressive expansion of apolar domains in between.

Interfacial Structures of Trihexyltetradecylphosphonium-bis(mandelato)borate Ionic Liquid Confined between Gold Electrodes.

Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations have been performed to study microscopic the interfacial ionic structures, molecular arrangements, and orientational preferences of trihexyltetradecylphosphonium-bis(mandelato)borate ([P][BMB]) ionic liquid confined between neutral and charged gold electrodes. It was found that both [P] cations and [BMB] anions are coabsorbed onto neutral electrodes at different temperatures. The hexyl and tetradecyl chains in [P] cations lie preferentially flat on neutral electrodes.

Atomistic Insight into Tetraalkylphosphonium Bis(oxalato)borate Ionic Liquid/Water Mixtures. 2. Volumetric and Dynamic Properties.

Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations have been performed to investigate volumetric quantities and dynamic properties of binary trihexyltetradecylphosphonium bis(oxalato)borate ([P6,6,6,14][BOB]) ionic liquid (IL)/water mixtures with different water concentrations. The predicted liquid densities for typical [P6,6,6,14][BOB] IL/water mixtures are consistent with available experimental data with a relative discrepancy of less than 3%. The liquid densities and excess molar volumes of all studied [P6,6,6,14][BOB] IL/water mixtures are characterized by concave and convex features, respectively, within full water concentration range.

Thermomechanical coupling in coarse grained cholesteric liquid crystal model systems with pitches of realistic length.

Thermomechanical coupling in cholesteric liquid crystals, i.e. when a temperature gradient parallel to the cholesteric axis rotates the director, has been studied in a model system of soft ellipsoids where the interaction potential has been augmented by a chiral potential.

Self-diffusion in the non-Newtonian regime of shearing liquid crystal model systems based on the Gay-Berne potential.

The self-diffusion coefficients of nematic phases of various model systems consisting of regular convex calamitic and discotic ellipsoids and non-convex bodies such as bent-core molecules and soft ellipsoid strings have been obtained as functions of the shear rate in a shear flow. Then the self-diffusion coefficient is a second rank tensor with three different diagonal components and two off-diagonal components. These coefficients were found to be determined by a combination of two mechanisms, which previously have been found to govern the self-diffusion of shearing isotropic liquids, namely, (i) shear alignment enhancing the diffusion in the direction parallel to the streamlines and hindering the diffusion in the perpendicular directions and (ii) the distortion of the shell structure in the liquid whereby a molecule more readily can escape from a surrounding shell of nearest neighbors, so that the mobility increases in every direction.

Multiscale modeling of the trihexyltetradecylphosphonium chloride ionic liquid.

A multiscale modeling protocol was sketched for the trihexyltetradecylphosphonium chloride ([P6,6,6,14]Cl) ionic liquid (IL). The optimized molecular geometries of an isolated [P6,6,6,14] cation and a tightly bound [P6,6,6,14]Cl ion pair structure were obtained from quantum chemistry ab initio calculations. A cost-effective united-atom model was proposed for the [P6,6,6,14] cation based on the corresponding atomistic model.

Non-Newtonian rheological properties of shearing nematic liquid crystal model systems based on the Gay-Berne potential.

The viscosities and normal stress differences of various liquid crystal model systems based on the Gay-Berne potential have been obtained as functions of the shear rate in the non-Newtonian regime. Various molecular shapes such as regular convex calamitic and discotic ellipsoids and non-convex shapes such as bent core molecules and soft ellipsoid strings have been examined. The isotropic phases were found to be shear thinning with the shear rate dependence of the viscosity following a power law in the same way as alkanes and other non-spherical molecules.

Formation of a columnar liquid crystal in a simple one-component system of particles.

We report a molecular dynamics simulation demonstrating that a columnar liquid crystal, commonly formed by disc-shaped molecules, can be formed by identical particles interacting via a spherically symmetric potential. Upon isochoric cooling from a low-density isotropic liquid state the simulated system underwent a weak first order phase transition which produced a liquid crystal phase composed of parallel particle columns arranged in a hexagonal pattern in the plane perpendicular to the column axis. The particles within columns formed a liquid structure and demonstrated a significant intracolumn diffusion.

Atomistic Insight into Tetraalkylphosphonium-Bis(oxalato)borate Ionic Liquid/Water Mixtures. I. Local Microscopic Structure.

Atomistic simulations have been performed to investigate the microscopic structural organization of aqueous solutions of trihexyltetradecylphosphonium bis(oxalato)borate ([P6,6,6,14][BOB]) ionic liquid (IL). The evolution of the microscopic liquid structure and the local ionic organization of IL/water mixtures as a function of the water concentration is visualized and systematically analyzed via radial and spatial distribution functions, coordination numbers, hydrogen bond network, and water clustering analysis. The microscopic liquid structure in neat IL is characterized by a connected apolar network composed of the alkyl chains of [P6,6,6,14] cations and isolated polar domains consisting of the central segments of [P6,6,6,14] cations and [BOB] anions, and the corresponding local ionic environment is described by direct contact ion pairs.

Molecular dynamics simulation of planar elongational flow in a nematic liquid crystal based on the Gay-Berne potential.

Molecular dynamics simulations of planar elongational flow in a nematic liquid crystal model system based on the Gay-Berne fluid were undertaken by applying the SLLOD equations of motion with an elongational velocity field or strain rate. In order to facilitate the simulation, Kraynik-Reinelt periodic boundary conditions allowing arbitrarily long simulations were used. A Lagrangian constraint algorithm was utilized to fix the director at different angles relative to the elongation direction, so that the various pressure tensor elements could be calculated as a function of this angle.

Packing frustration in dense confined fluids.

Packing frustration for confined fluids, i.e., the incompatibility between the preferred packing of the fluid particles and the packing constraints imposed by the confining surfaces, is studied for a dense hard-sphere fluid confined between planar hard surfaces at short separations.

Director alignment relative to the temperature gradient in nematic liquid crystals studied by molecular dynamics simulation.

The director alignment relative to the temperature gradient in nematic liquid crystal model systems consisting of soft oblate or prolate ellipsoids of revolution has been studied by molecular dynamics simulation. The temperature gradient is maintained by thermostating different parts of the system at different temperatures by using a Gaussian thermostat. It is found that the director of the prolate ellipsoids aligns perpendicularly to the temperature gradient whereas the director of the oblate ellipsoids aligns parallel to this gradient.

Local order variations in confined hard-sphere fluids.

Pair distributions of fluids confined between two surfaces at close distance are of fundamental importance for a variety of physical, chemical, and biological phenomena, such as interactions between macromolecules in solution, surface forces, and diffusion in narrow pores. However, in contrast to bulk fluids, properties of inhomogeneous fluids are seldom studied at the pair-distribution level. Motivated by recent experimental advances in determining anisotropic structure factors of confined fluids, we analyze theoretically the underlying anisotropic pair distributions of the archetypical hard-sphere fluid confined between two parallel hard surfaces using first-principles statistical mechanics of inhomogeneous fluids.

Thermomechanical coupling, heat conduction and director rotation in cholesteric liquid crystals studied by molecular dynamics simulation.

The lack of a centre of inversion in a cholesteric liquid crystal allows linear cross couplings between thermodynamic forces and fluxes that are polar vectors and pseudovectors, respectively. This makes it possible for a temperature gradient parallel to the cholesteric axis to induce a torque that rotates the director, a phenomenon known as the Lehmann effect or thermomechanical coupling. The converse is also possible: a torque applied parallel to the cholesteric axis rotates the director and drives a heat flow.

Twist viscosities and flow alignment of biaxial nematic liquid crystal phases of a soft ellipsoid-string fluid studied by molecular dynamics simulation.

We have calculated the twist viscosity and the alignment angle between the director and the stream lines in shear flow of a liquid crystal model system, which forms biaxial nematic liquid crystals, as functions of the density, from the Green-Kubo relations by equilibrium molecular dynamics simulation and by a nonequilibrium molecular dynamics algorithm, where a torque conjugate to the director angular velocity is applied to rotate the director. The model system consists of a soft ellipsoid-string fluid where the ellipsoids interact according a repulsive version of the Gay-Berne potential. Four different length-to-width-to-breadth ratios have been studied.

The heat conductivity of liquid crystal phases of a soft ellipsoid string-fluid evaluated by molecular dynamics simulation.

We have applied a nonequilibrium molecular dynamics heat flow algorithm to calculate the heat conductivity of a molecular model system, which forms uniaxial and biaxial nematic liquid crystals. The model system consists of a soft ellipsoid string-fluid where the ellipsoids interact according to a repulsive version of the Gay-Berne potential. On compression, this system forms discotic or calamitic uniaxial nematic phases depending on the dimensions of the molecules, and on further compression a biaxial nematic phase is formed.

Flow alignment phenomena in liquid crystals studied by molecular dynamics simulation.

The flow alignment of a nematic liquid crystal has been studied as a function of temperature, beginning at high temperature in the nematic phase and down to the nematic-smectic A phase transition. The alignment angle is obtained by estimating the twist viscosities by nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) methods. These estimates are cross-checked by evaluating the corresponding equilibrium fluctuation relations.