Papenfuß, ChristinaVerhás, JozsefMuschik, Wolfgang2018-11-102018-11-1019950932-0784https://depositonce.tu-berlin.de/handle/11303/8479http://dx.doi.org/10.14279/depositonce-7625A continuum theory of a biaxial nematic phase in liquid crystals is presented. The liquid crystalline ordering is described by a field of three unit vectors. Because these are macroscopic directors, the present approach is a generalization of the Ericksen-Leslie theory to biaxial nematics. The applied tools from nonequilibrium thermodynamics are classical Linear Irreversible Thermodynamics and Gyarmati's variational principle.en530 Physikliquid crystalsbiaxial nematicslinear irreversible thermodynamicsOnsager reciprocity relationsGyarmati's variational principleArticle1865-7109