An analysis of flow-induced miscibility of polymer blends

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Abstract
The phase behavior of blends of polystyrene and poly(vinyl methyl ether) undergoing shearing flow was examined. Experiments conducted at a constant level of flow-induced strain found that such flow elevates the phase boundary and pro-motes miscibility. In the framework of the Cahn-Hilliard model for spinodal decomposition, an expression was developed which predicts the effect of an external flow field on the spinodal. The basis for this expression is the minimization of strain energy in a two-component polymer system that is in a thermodynamic state near its phase-separation point. The zero shear viscosities of the blends were measured and demonstrated to be an indication of one- or two-phase flow.