COMPUTER-SIMULATION OF BI-DISPERSE LIQUID-CRYSTALS - THE EFFECT OF CONCENTRATION ON PHASE-BEHAVIOR AND STRUCTURAL-PROPERTIES

We present results from constant-NPT molecular dynamics simulations of bi-disperse liquid crystal mixtures at a range of concentrations. The se simulations are performed using the generalised Gay-Berne interacti on potential. We observe that the transition temperature between order ed and disordered phases varies linearly with mole fraction. Also, the layer spacing in the smectic-B phase varies approximately linearly wi th mole fraction. We find that the region of nematic phase stability i s very narrow in the NPT ensemble, but establish it for a single-compo nent system. The difficulty in determining this region is related to t he sensitivity of the nematic phase to density fluctuations.