THE NEMATIC TRANSITION OF BENDABLE ELLIPSOIDS

The transition from the isotropic to nematic phase is investigated for a fluid comprised of bendable ellipsoids. When the bending amplitude is chosen such that the bodies remain convex, density functional-Onsag er methods can be employed to estimate the phase transition properties . The convexity requirement places a restriction on the size of the ef fects; however, a trend is discernible. As the density of the fluid in creases, in both the isotropic and nematic phases, the mean bending am plitude is suppressed. Furthermore, the density of the isotropic to ne matic transition increases with the bending amplitude in accord with t he predictions of the Khokhlov-Semenov theory. (C) 1996 American Insti tute of Physics.