title: Statistical mechanics of splay flexoelectricity in nematic liquid crystals.
abstract: We develop a lattice model for the splay flexoelectric effect in nematic liquid crystals. In this model, each lattice site has a spin representing the local molecular orientation, and the interaction between neighboring spins represents pear-shaped molecules with shape polarity. We perform Monte Carlo simulations and mean-field calculations to find the behavior as a function of interaction parameters, temperature, and applied electric field. The resulting phase diagram has three phases: isotropic, nematic, and polar. In the nematic phase, there is a large splay flexoelectric effect, which diverges as the system approaches the transition to the polar phase. These results show that flexoelectricity can be a statistical phenomenon associated with the onset of polar order.
authors.affiliation: Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, USA.
authors.forename: Subas
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dhakal
authors.forename: Jonathan V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Selinger
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D050866:Liquid Crystals / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D008956:Models, Chemical; D015233:Models, Statistical; D011829:Radiation Dosage