Polymerization-induced phase separation in a liquid-crystal-polymer mixture

Kim, J. Y.; Cho, C. H.; Palffy‐Muhoray, Peter; Kyu, Thein

doi:10.1103/physrevlett.71.2232

Cited by 110 publications

(103 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Unfortunately, as the first step of their work on this complicated system, the anisotropic characteristics of an LC, let alone the coupling between the concentration and orientation fluctuations, has not been taken into consideration by Lin et al [41][42][43] at all, although PDLC is their central topic. A similar case exists in some experimental observations and theoretical treatments 15,44,45) . In the present paper, a three-dimensional dynamic MC simulation 46) is performed to study the phase separation kinetics in the mixtures of flexible polymers and thermotropic low molecular weight LCs considering the nematic characteristics among rods for the first time.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 59%

Phase separation kinetics in mixtures of flexible polymers and low molecular weight liquid crystals

Zhu

Ding³

et al. 1999

Macromol. Theory Simul.

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SUMMARY: A dynamic Monte Carlo (MC) simulation is performed to investigate the phase behavior of mixtures of flexible polymers and low molecular weight thermotropic liquid crystals (LCs). The polymer is represented by three-dimensional self-avoiding lattice chains, while the LC is described by the LebwohlLasher nematogen model. The initially homogeneous rod-coil mixture is, following a deep quench, separated into an isotropic phase rich in coils and a nematic phase rich in rods. The underlying spinodal decomposition (SD) process is then simulated and studied extensively. This is the first simulation of SD in a rod-coil mixture where the nematic ordering is included. Concentration fluctuations with a conserved order parameter are thus coupled with orientation fluctuations with a nonconserved order parameter. It is found that the early stage SD in the rod-coil mixture still exhibits the dominant spatial wavelength and that the scalar scattering functions in the late stage of SD obey the Furukawa scaling law. The kinetic difference between the so-called isotropic and anisotropic SD regions is, however, much less pronounced than predicted recently by the mean-field theory.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 59%

Phase separation kinetics in mixtures of flexible polymers and low molecular weight liquid crystals

Zhu

Ding³

et al. 1999

Macromol. Theory Simul.

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“…Kim and Palffy-Muhoray 15,16) have experimentally investigated an epoxy-based PDLC system that is formed via polymerization-induced phase separation of the mixture of LCs and polymers. However, it seems to us that these studies are limited to the case of SD in a liquidliquid (L-L) spinodal region.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spinodal decomposition kinetics of a mixture of liquid crystals and polymers

Lin

Zhang

Yang³

1999

Macromol. Chem. Phys.

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SUMMARY: The spinodal decomposition (SD) kinetics of the mixture of polystyrene (PS) and a low molar mass liquid crystal (LC) (E7) has been studied by means of time-resolved small angle light scattering (SALS) and polarized optical microscopy (POM). It is found that, in the isotropic spinodal region, the mixture first undergoes an isotropic concentration fluctuation, and then the ordering process that occurs in pure LC will appear in the LC-rich phase after phase separation. In contrast to that, however, the concentration and orientation fluctuations take place simultaneously in an anisotropic spinodal region. A rapid phase separation via SD was observed in the anisotropic spinodal region due to the fact that the ordered LC phase excludes the polymer coils more strongly than the isotropic region.

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“…Many authors have discussed reactionused to provide very fast kinetics in the hopes of trapping small LC domains within the polymer induced phase separation in these terms and have gone on to further speculate as to the nature of matrix to eliminate appreciable scatter while still allowing electrical modulation of the nematic dithe phase separation process, nucleation and growth vs. spinodal decomposition. [12][13][14] Phase rector. Currently, the single functionality monomer is used as a solubilizer and its presence is separation occurs in systems due to an increase in the number fraction of large molecules in comcritical in the formation of homogenous syrups.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%