Shear Viscosity of Phase Separating Polymer Blends With Viscous Asymmetry

Published

June 1, 2001

Author(s)

H Jeon, Erik K. Hobbie

Abstract

Rheo-optical measurements of phase separating polymer mixtures under simple shear flow have been used to investigate the influence of domain morphology on the viscosity of emulsion-like polymer blends. The morphology and viscosity of low-molecular weight polybutadiene and polyisoprene mixtures, phase separated by quenching to a temperature inside the coexistence region, were measured as a function of shear rate and composition. In the weak shear regime, the data are in qualitative agreement with a theoretical model for non-dilute suspensions of slightly deformed interacting droplets. In the strong shear regime, where a string-like pattern appear en route to shear-induced homogenization, viscous asymmetry in the melt components leads to a nonvanishing interfacial contribution.

Citation

Physical Review E (Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics)

Volume

63 No. 6

Issue

Pt. 1

Pub Type

Journals

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Keywords

phase separation, polymer blends, shear, viscosity

Citation

Jeon, H. and Hobbie, E. (2001), Shear Viscosity of Phase Separating Polymer Blends With Viscous Asymmetry, Physical Review E (Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics), [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=851848 (Accessed October 27, 2025)