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Nucleation in binary polymer blends: Effects of adding diblock copolymers

Wang, Jianfang and Zhang, Hongdong and Qiu, Feng and Wang, Zhen-Gang and Yang, Yuliang (2003) Nucleation in binary polymer blends: Effects of adding diblock copolymers. Journal of Chemical Physics, 118 (19). pp. 8997-9006. ISSN 0021-9606. doi:10.1063/1.1566941. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:WANjcp03

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Abstract

The effects of adding AB diblock copolymers to A/B binary blends on the structure and thermodynamics of critical nuclei are studied using the self-consistent field theory. At a fixed ratio of the amount of the two homopolymers, depending on the degree of polymerization and composition of the diblocks, their addition to the blends can either increase or decrease the nucleation free energy barrier relative to the pure A/B blends. The qualitative trend can be deduced from the shift in the coexistence boundary and the spinodal. The distribution of diblock copolymers in critical nuclei depends on the composition of the diblocks and the quench depth. Near the coexistence, symmetric diblocks exhibit surfactant behavior, being highly concentrated on the interface of the critical nuclei. Near the spinodal, they act more like co-solvent with a relatively uniform distribution.


Item Type:Article
Related URLs:
URLURL TypeDescription
https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1566941DOIUNSPECIFIED
ORCID:
AuthorORCID
Wang, Zhen-Gang0000-0002-3361-6114
Additional Information:©2003 American Institute of Physics. (Received 24 January 2003; accepted 20 February 2003) Financial support by the NSF of China and the Special Project for Fundamental Researches of the Ministry of Science and Technology is acknowledged. Z.G.W. acknowledges support by the US National Science Foundation (DMR-9970589).
Funders:
Funding AgencyGrant Number
National Science Foundation of ChinaUNSPECIFIED
Special Project for Fundamental Researches, Ministry of Science and TechnologyUNSPECIFIED
NSFDMR-9970589
Subject Keywords:polymer blends; free energy; nucleation; phase separation; SCF calculations
Issue or Number:19
DOI:10.1063/1.1566941
Record Number:CaltechAUTHORS:WANjcp03
Persistent URL:https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:WANjcp03
Usage Policy:No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided.
ID Code:8768
Collection:CaltechAUTHORS
Deposited By: Archive Administrator
Deposited On:15 Sep 2007
Last Modified:08 Nov 2021 20:53

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