KINETICS OF MICROEMULSION FORMATION IN POLYMER MIXTURES

The kinetics of microemulsion formation in a multicomponent blend of t wo homopolymers and a block copolymer was studied by neutron scatterin g. The scattering profiles indicate the presence of large length-scale defects that coexist with the periodic microemulsion. With time, the large-scale structures undergo coarsening, while the periodic structur es undergo refinement, i.e., they become more organized. The defect de nsity at a given temperature can be controlled to some extent by therm al history. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics.