Critical exponents and universality for the isotropic-nematic phase transition in a system of self-assembled rigid rods on a lattice

L. G. LÓPEZ; D. H. LINARES; A. J. RAMIREZ-PASTOR

PHYSICAL REVIEW E

AMER PHYSICAL SOC

Año: 2009 vol. 80 p. 40105 - 40109

1539-3755

Monte Carlo simulations have been carried out for a system of monomers on square lattices that, bydecreasing temperature or increasing density, polymerize reversibly into chains with two allowed directionsand, at the same time, undergo a continuous isotropic-nematic
IN transition. The results show that theself-assembly process affects the nature of the transition. Thus, the calculation of the critical exponents and thebehavior of Binder cumulants indicate that the universality class of the IN transition changes from twodimensionalIsing-type for monodisperse rods without self-assembly to q=1 Potts-type for self-assembled rods.