Molecular theory of dendritic liquid crystals: self-organisation and phase transitions

We formulate the configurational partition function for dendrimers, takingexplicit account of their conformations and segmental interactions. Twoapproximate schemes are presented, one based on the effectivedendrimer-dendrimer interactions and the other based on the interactions amongthe mesogenic units comprising the dendrimers. In the latter scheme, thedescription of the dendromesogenic system reduces to that of an ensemble ofmesogenic dimers. Results of lattice calculations for phase transitions arepresented showing that the minimal inclusion of shape anisotropy and ofsub-molecular partitioning into chemically distinct parts reproduces thevariety of phases and phase sequences observed experimentally and providesinsights into the conformational aspect of these transitions.