https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2008-10424-2
Regular Article
Phase transitions and ordering of confined dipolar fluids
1
Institute of Physics, University of Pannonia, H-8201, Veszprém, Hungary
2
Max-Planck-Institut für Metallforschung, Heisenbergstr. 3, D-70569, Stuttgart, Germany
3
Institut für Theoretische und Angewandte Physik, Universität Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 57, D-70569, Stuttgart, Germany
* e-mail: szalai@almos.vein.hu
** e-mail: dietrich@mf.mpg.de
Received:
21
November
2008
Revised:
13
January
2009
Accepted:
16
January
2009
Published online:
19
February
2009
We apply a modified mean-field density functional theory to determine the phase behavior of Stockmayer fluids in slit-like pores formed by two walls with identical substrate potentials. Based on the Carnahan-Starling equation of state, a fundamental-measure theory is employed to incorporate the effects of short-ranged hard-sphere-like correlations while the long-ranged contributions to the fluid interaction potential are treated perturbatively. The liquid-vapor, ferromagnetic-liquid-vapor, and ferromagnetic-liquid-isotropic-liquid first-order phase separations are investigated. The local orientational structure of the anisotropic and inhomogeneous ferromagnetic liquid phase is also studied. We discuss how the phase diagrams are shifted and distorted upon varying the pore width.
PACS: 61.20.Gy Theory and models of liquid structure – / 64.75.Gh Phase separation and segregation in model systems (hard spheres, Lennard-Jones, etc.) – / 64.70.Ja Liquid-liquid transitions – / 64.75.-g Phase equilibria –
© EDP Sciences, SIF, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 2009
