| Issue |
Europhys. Lett.
Volume 68, Number 2, October 2004
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Page(s) | 219 - 225 | |
| Section | Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1209/epl/i2004-10242-2 | |
| Published online | 01 October 2004 | |
Mobile nanoparticles and their effect on phase separation dynamics in thin-film polymer blends
Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 19104-6272, USA
Corresponding author: composto@lrsm.upenn.edu
Received:
7
June
2004
Accepted:
30
August
2004
We present a systematic study of mobile nanoparticles (NP) and
their effect on phase separation dynamics in polymer blend films.
Starting with a homogeneous dispersion of silica NP in
films, the NP are observed to partition into
the PMMA-rich phase and stratify during phase separation. The
correlation length ξ between phases grows as 
for blends containing 0, 2, and 5
% NP. However, phase size
decreases as the wt% of NP increases. This behavior agrees with
a coalescence model, which incorporates an increase in viscosity
due to the NP.
PACS: 64.70.Ja – Liquid-liquid transitions / 82.35.Np – Nanoparticles in polymers / 68.55.-a – Thin film structure and morphology
© EDP Sciences, 2004
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