X-ray diffraction from the uniaxial and biaxial nematic phases of bent-core mesogens

X-ray diffraction patterns for the uniaxial and biaxial nematic phases exhibited by rigid bent-core mesogens were calculated using a simple model for the molecular form factor and a modified Lorentzian structure factor. The X-ray diffraction patterns depend strongly on the extent of the alignment of the molecular axes as well as the orientation of molecular planes. The X-ray diffraction can be unequivocally used to identify the biaxial nematic phase, study the uniaxial-biaxial phase transition, and estimate the order parameters of the nematic phase.