Year: 2006
Type: article
Abstract: We introduce a mesoscale technique for simulating the structure and rheology of block-copolymer melts and blends in hydrodynamic flows. The technique couples dynamic self-consistent field theory with continuum hydrodynamics and flow penalization to simulate polymeric fluid flows in channels of arbitrary geometry. We demonstrate the method by studying phase separation of an ABC triblock copolymer melt in a submicron channel with neutral wall wetting conditions. We find that surface wetting effects and shear effects compete, producing wall-perpendicular lamellae in the absence of flow and wall-parallel lamellae in cases where the shear rate exceeds some critical Weissenberg number.
Source: Physical Review Letters
Language: English
Subfield: Materials Chemistry
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2009222899