Spinodal decomposition in polymer mixtures via surface diffusion

TL;DR

This paper investigates spinodal decomposition in polymer mixtures, demonstrating a t^1/4 domain growth law driven by surface diffusion, supported by experimental results and lattice simulations, highlighting the suppression of bulk mobility effects.

Contribution

It provides experimental and simulation evidence for surface diffusion-driven spinodal decomposition with a specific growth law in polymer mixtures.

Findings

Domain growth follows t^1/4 law over extended times

Surface diffusion dominates due to suppressed bulk mobility

Experimental and simulation results are consistent

Abstract

We present experimental results for spinodal decomposition in polymer mixtures of gelatin and dextran. The domain growth law is found to be consistent with t^1/4-growth over extended time-regimes. Similar results are obtained from lattice simulations of a polymer mixture. This slow growth arises due to the suppression of the bulk mobility of polymers. In that case, spinodal decomposition is driven by the diffusive transport of material along domain interfaces, which gives rise to a t^1/4-growth law.