Interfacial Slip in Sheared Polymer Blends

TL;DR

This paper introduces a parameter-free dynamic self-consistent field theory for unentangled polymer blends under shear, accurately predicting interfacial dynamics and microstructure evolution, validated against Molecular Dynamics simulations.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel self-consistent field model that captures interfacial slip and microstructure evolution in sheared polymer blends without adjustable parameters.

Findings

Good agreement with Molecular Dynamics simulations

Accurate prediction of interfacial slip behavior

Quantitative analysis of microstructure evolution

Abstract

We have developed a dynamic self-consistent field theory, without any adjustable parameters, for unentangled polymer blends under shear. Our model accounts for the interaction between polymers, and enables one to compute the evolution of the local rheology, microstructure and the conformations of the polymer chains under shear self-consistently. We use this model to study the interfacial dynamics in sheared polymer blends and make a quantitative comparison between this model and Molecular Dynamics simulations. We find good agreement between the two methods.