Abstract
By computer simulation the anisotropic long-time translational self-diffusion coefficients are calculated in the nematic phase of colloidal hard spherocylinders exhibiting Brownian dynamics in a solvent. In particular, the two diffusion coefficients and parallel and perpendicular to the nematic director, are obtained for aspect ratios between 4.8 and 16 and for arbitrary densities. Long-time diffusion along the nematic director is nonmonotonic in density: Upon increasing the density, it first increases due to stronger alignment and then decreases due to packing constraints. It is shown that the ratio and the orientation flip rate essentially scale with the nematic order parameter. While the ratio increases with density in the nematic phase, it decreases dramatically with increasing density in the smectic-A phase. The results are compared to recent experiments.
- Received 8 September 1998
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.59.1989
©1999 American Physical Society