Macromolecules, Vol.30, No.14, 3999-4009, 1997
Real-Space Analysis of the Structural Evolution of a Polymer Blend via Spinodal Decomposition
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) are used to visualize the morphological evolution during spinodal decomposition (SD) of a binary polymer blend of poly(styrene-ran-butadiene) and polybutadiene with near critical composition. The mechanically homogenized samples were exposed to a temperature jump, and the time evolution of the characteristic wavenumber q(m) was recorded by time-resolved light scattering. TEM and LSCM micrographs at various stages are also presented to clarify the growing bicontinuous morphology. A real space analysis of the early stage of the spinodal decomposition is presented for the first time. Two-dimensional Fourier transformation was applied to the real space images to obtain information about the characteristic wavenumber, and the results were compared to the predictions obtained by Cahn’s linearized theory.
Keywords:BINARY-LIQUID MIXTURES;ANGLE NEUTRON-SCATTERING;PROTONATED POLYBUTADIENE BLENDS;PHASE-SEPARATION BEHAVIOR;SELF-ASSEMBLING PROCESSES;SCALING ANALYSES;CRITICAL-POINT;STAGE;DYNAMICS;FLUCTUATIONS