Smectic-A Free Standing Film of Lennard-Jones Spherocylinder Model

A spherocylinder-like molecule with a Lennard-Jones type interaction is proposed as a model of smectic-A (Sm-A) liquid crystals, which can form a free-standing film. By means of Gibbs ensemble simulations, the isotropic, nematic, and Sm-A phases of the model fluid are found to coexist with a vapor phase; and the coexistence conditions of the liquid crystal phases with the vapor phase are determined. For a set of the interaction-parameters of the model molecule, the Sm-A free-standing film is produced below the bulk isotropic--Sm-A phase transition temperature by using Monte Carlo simulations. The film tension of the Sm-A free-standing film is calculated and its dependencies on the temperature and on the number of molecules are discussed.