Phase behavior and elastic response of liquid crystal mixtures in atomistic models

In practical applications, liquid crystal devices tend to utilize mixtures of liquid crystal molecules. Liquid crystals mixtures can be formulated to have a broad nematic phase range, elastic responses and dielectric anisotropies which are distinct compared to the components. Elasticity, in particular, is important in determining equilibrium morphologies and material responses. Despite this importance, limited knowledge exists about the connections between microscopic composition and macroscopic elastic response in liquid crystal blends. Here, we apply advanced sampling methods in atomistic models to study both the phase behavior and elastic response of liquid crystal mixture. Our simulation work can help understand the elasticity of liquid crystals mixtures and help to rationally design new liquid crystal mixtures.