The isotropic-nematic and nematic-nematic phase transition of binary mixtures of tangent hard-sphere chain fluids: An analytical equation of state

Phase Separation and Nematic Order in Lyotropic Solutions: Two Types of Polymers with Different Stiffnesses in a Common Solvent

The interplay of the isotropic-nematic transition and phase separation in lyotropic solutions of two types of semiflexible macromolecules with pronounced difference in chain stiffness is studied by Density Functional Theory and Molecular Dynamics simulations. While the width of the isotropic-nematic two-phase coexistence region is narrow for solutions with a single type of semiflexible chain, the two-phase coexistence region widens for solutions containing two types of chains with rather disparate stiffness. In the nematic phase, both types of chains contribute to the nematic order, with intermediate values of the order parameter compared to the corresponding single component solutions. As the difference in bending stiffness is increased, the two chain types separate into two coexisting nematic phases. The phase behavior is rationalized by considering the chemical potentials of the two components and the Gibbs excess free energy. The geometric properties of the chain conformations under the various conditions are also discussed.

Binary mixtures of rod-like colloids under shear: microscopically-based equilibrium theory and order-parameter dynamics

This paper is concerned with the dynamics of a binary mixture of rod-like, repulsive colloidal particles driven out of equilibrium by means of a steady shear flow (Couette geometry). To this end we first derive, starting from a microscopic density functional in Parsons-Lee approximation, a mesoscopic free energy functional whose main variables are the orientational order parameter tensors. Based on this mesoscopic functional we then explore the stability of isotropic and nematic equilibrium phases in terms of composition and rod lengths. Second, by combining the equilibrium theory with the Doi-Hess approach for the order parameter dynamics under shear, we investigate the orientational dynamics of binary mixtures for a range of shear rates and coupling parameters. We find a variety of dynamical states, including synchronized oscillatory states of the two components, but also symmetry breaking behavior where the components display different in-plane oscillatory states.