title: The isotropic-nematic phase transition in hard, slightly curved, lens-like particles.
abstract: Monte Carlo numerical simulations are used to study in detail how the characteristics of the isotropic-nematic phase transition change as infinitely thin hard platelets are bent into shallow lens-like particles. First, this phase transition in the former reference model system is re-examined and more accurately located. Then, it is shown quantitatively that this already quite weak but distinctly first-order phase transition weakens further upon curving the platelets to such an extent that, thanks to the thinness of these particles that does not favor its pre-emptying by a transition to a (partially) positionally ordered phase, an isotropic-nematic tricritical point limit can be arbitrarily closely approached.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Física Teórica de la Materia Condensada and Instituto de Física de la Materia Condensada, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Campus de Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cinacchi
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Pisa, Via Risorgimento 35, I-56100 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tani