Application of the statistical theory of elastic constants of nematics to spherocylindrical molecules with attractive forces

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Abstract
The statistical theory of the elastic constants of nematic liquid crystals is applied to detailed calculations based on well-defined approximations for the direct correlation function of Ornstein and Zernike and for the singlet orientational distribution. The model of hard spherocylinders with superimposed r -6 attraction modulated by a Maier-Saupe P 2(cos ϑ1 2) term, is used. The dependence on temperature, on the order parameter and on the length to breadth ratio, of the reduced elastic constants K* i (i=1, 2, 3), is discussed in some detail and comparison with experiment is included.