KINETICS OF LIQUID-LIQUID PHASE-SEPARATION OF A BINARY MIXTURE IN CYLINDRICAL PORES

We have performed molecular dynamics simulations of the liquid-liquid phase separation of a binary mixture confined in two different sizes o f cylindrical pore. In these systems, the interactions between the two fluids and the pore wall are identical so that no wetting occurs and the fluid separates into a series of pluglike domains after a temperat ure quench. In the larger pore the fluid separation is characterized b y bulklike growth exponents until the average domain size is comparabl e with the pore diameter, after which the growth slows dramatically. I n the smaller pore domain sizes reach the pore diameter very quickly, after which tile growth proceeds faster than in the large pore system.