Liquid crystal behavior of the Kihara fluid.

The liquid crystal phases of the Kihara fluid have been studied in computer simulations. The work focuses on the isotropic-nematic-smectic-A triple point region, especially relevant for the understanding of the properties and the design of real mesogens with specific phase diagrams. The Kihara interaction resembles more appropriately than other related models, the shape of elongated polymers and biomolecules, and a closer assertion is provided for the role of the configurational entropy and the dispersive interactions in the behavior of such molecules in dense phases or under macromolecular crowding conditions.