Simulation of sub-molecular and supra-molecular fluids

Computer simulations indicate that many forms of liquid crystalline order in lyotropic systems may be due to simple excluded volume effects. Yet, there is more to liquid crystalline ordering than simple hard-core repulsion. In order to understand liquid crystalline order in supra-molecular systems one must consider the effect of molecular flexibility. I shall discuss some recent developments that appear to open the way to a systematic study of the phase behavior of semi-flexible molecules