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-Onsager methods can be employed to estimate the phase transition properties. The convexity requirement places a restriction on the size of the effects; however, a trend is discernible. As the density of the fluid increases, in both the isotropic and nematic phases, the mean bending amplitude is suppressed. Furthermore, the density of the isotropic to nematic transition increases with the bending amplitude in accord with the predictions of the Khokhlov–Semenov theory. © 1996 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]