Twist-bend-like phases and elastic response of model bent-core liquid crystals

Bent-core liquid crystals have recently attracted significant attention because of their novel mesostructure and the intriguing behavior of their elastic constants, which are strongly anisotropic and have an unusual temperature dependence. For instance, experiments report an abnormally low bend elastic constant, which dips near the nematic-twist-bend transition, and increases again as the transition is crossed; the molecular mechanisms responsible for these behaviors are unclear. Here, we utilize Density of States algorithms in Monte Carlo simulation applied to a bent-core variant of the Lebwohl-Lasher model to analyze the mechanism behind elastic response in this novel mesostructure and understand the temperature dependence of its Frank-Oseen elastic constants.