Phase-field simulation of thermally induced spinodal decomposition in polymer blends

A phase-field simulation of thermally induced phase separation with various initial average concentrations under different quench depths is systematically carried out in this paper. The resultant morphology of the phase-separated materials is determined by the quench temperature and the average concentration. A detailed understanding of the effects of quench depth during the phase separation process of spinodal decomposition (SD) is presented. The coarsening mechanism with various average concentrations is investigated. In addition, hydrodynamic effects play an important role in phase separation in liquid immiscible alloys. Therefore, a systematic comparison between systems with and without hydrodynamic effects under different conditions is also considered. The model developed and the results obtained could shed light on using SD in immiscible polymer systems to obtain desired nanostructures for advanced applications.