KINETICS OF SPINODAL DECOMPOSITION IN LIQUID-CRYSTALLINE POLYMERS - PROCESSING EFFECTS ON THE PHASE-SEPARATION MORPHOLOGY

Results from a Landau-Ginzburg model which treats the problem of spino dal decomposition of liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs) in solution ar e presented. Morphological evolution of one conserved order parameter (polymer volume fraction) and one nonconserved order parameter (the Fl ory orientational order parameter) is considered. Processing effects o n morphology including quench temperature, composition, solvent qualit y, and molecular weight are presented. Simulations of example quenchin g experiments demonstrate that increased LCP concentration, decreased molecular weight, increased solvation, and decreased quench depth all lead to increased domain size. Implications of the model regarding the optimization of processing conditions for LCP fiber spinning and film casting are discussed.