We study the morphologies of nematic nanodrops in a vapor of a discotic nematogen by Monte Carlo simulations. The fluid interactions are modeled by a Gay-Berne model with molecular elongations of κ = 0.3 and 0.5 and different values of the energy anisotropy parameter κ′ in the range of temperature T in which the nematic coexists with a vapor phase. We considered nanodrops of N = 4000 and 32 000 particles. For κ > κ′, we observe that nanodrops are quite spherical (even for N = 4000 nanodrops), with a homogeneous director field for κ = 0.3 and a bipolar nematic configuration with tangential anchoring for κ = 0.5. By increasing the value of κ′, nanodrops change from spherical to lens-shaped for κ = 0.3, and for κ = 0.5, spherical nanodrops with homeotropic anchoring and a disclination ring located on its equatorial plane are observed. Although no radial nanodrops are observed, isotropic liquid nanodrops with a paranematic shell and radial texture are observed for temperatures slightly above the vapor–isotropic–nematic triple point when the vapor–isotropic interface is completely wet by the nematic phase.

中文翻译：

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盘状液晶的纳米滴：蒙特卡洛研究

我们通过蒙特卡洛模拟研究盘状线虫致病原蒸气中向列型纳米滴的形貌。流体相互作用通过盖伊-伯恩模型进行建模，其分子伸长率为κ= 0.3和0.5 ，并且在向列与汽相共存的温度T范围内，能量各向异性参数κ'的值不同。我们考虑了N = 4000和32 000粒子的纳米滴。对于κ>κ'，我们观察到纳米滴是非常球形的（即使对于N= 4000纳米滴），对于κ= 0.3具有均一的指向矢场，并且对于κ= 0.5具有切向锚定的双极向列型构型。通过增加κ'的值，当κ= 0.3时，纳米滴从球形变为透镜状，而对于κ= 0.5，则观察到在其赤道平面上具有垂直锚固和旋错环的球形纳米滴。尽管未观察到径向纳米滴，但是当蒸气-各向同性界面被向列相完全润湿时，在略高于蒸气-各向同性-向列三点的温度下，观察到具有副向性壳和放射状结构的各向同性液体纳米滴。