Polymer interface instability caused by a grafting reaction

We demonstrate that the interfacial tension between two molten polymers can be reduced significantly by the formation of graft copolymer at the interf ace by chemical reaction. If the grafting chains are short enough, the inte rface becomes unstable and roughens markedly, leading even to the formation of a polymer microemulsion. We investigate the onset of this roughening in stability and find it that can be predicted satisfactorily by self-consiste nt mean field theory. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.