Author
D.A. Dunmur
Bio: D.A. Dunmur is an academic researcher from University of Sheffield. The author has contributed to research in topics: Liquid crystal & Phase (matter). The author has an hindex of 3, co-authored 3 publications receiving 96 citations.
Papers
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57 citations
TL;DR: According to the Maier-Saupe theory, the order induced by a magnetic field in a liquid crystal above the nematic-isotropic transition varies with temperature as (T − T ∗ ) -1 as mentioned in this paper.
26 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a general method for calculating the phase behavior of binary mixtures of nematic liquid crystals in the mean field approximation was proposed, and existing nematic phases were predicted at low temperatures.
13 citations
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TL;DR: An overview of the current state of research in the field of biaxial nematic liquid crystalline materials is given in this paper, where the major theoretical concepts are outlined, including the classification to different symmetries, the importance of cooperativity and cluster formation for the development of BN order and the conditions for the establishment of field induced and spontaneous BN in nematic phases.
Abstract: An overview over the current state of research in the field of biaxial nematic liquid crystalline materials is given. After a short introduction, providing some general aspects and summarizing the classical approaches, the main part focuses on recent developments of new concepts for designing biaxial nematics. First, the major theoretical concepts are outlined, including the classification to different symmetries, the importance of cooperativity and cluster formation for the development of biaxial order and the conditions for the establishment of field induced and spontaneous biaxiality in nematic phases. These new concepts also require the re-evaluation of the tools used for the identification of phase biaxiality, which are discussed briefly. In the second part, recent progress in the design of potential biaxial nematic materials, especially focussing on bent-core molecules with nematic phases, is reported and, finally, comparisons with phase biaxiality as observed in smectic liquid crystals are made.
299 citations
TL;DR: A review of the wide variety of predictions that results from a Landau-type of description of the nematic-isotropic phase transition is given in this paper, which includes a discussion of the nature of the order parameter and of the various types of possible phases.
291 citations
288 citations
TL;DR: A review of the thermotropic materials for which a biaxial nematic has now been claimed can be found in this article, where it is suggested that deuterium NMR spectroscopy is a powerful method with which to determine this.
238 citations
TL;DR: Using two order tensors, the classical isotropic-uniaxial-biaxial sequence of phases is recovered and the phase diagram exhibits a tricritical point, a feature that cannot be retraced in the other mean-field models established for molecules without shape dispersion.
Abstract: Using two order tensors, we propose a mean-field model to describe the uniaxial and biaxial phases of nematogenic molecules presenting a shape dispersion of their biaxial dielectric susceptibility. We recover the classical isotropic-uniaxial-biaxial sequence of phases. The phase diagram exhibits a tricritical point, a feature that cannot be retraced in the other mean-field models established for molecules without shape dispersion.
118 citations