Shear-induced nano-macro structural transition in a polymeric bicontinuousmicroemulsion - art. no. 098301

Bicontinuous microemulsions arise in a narrow concentration range for terna ry blends containing two immiscible homopolymers and the corresponding dibl ock copolymer. Steady shear reveals four distinct regimes of response as a function of shear rate, corresponding to flow-induced transitions in fluid structure. In situ neutron scattering shows flow-induced anisotropy in the nanometer-scale microemulsion structure at moderate shear rates, while high er rates induce bulk phase separation, with micron-size morphology, which i s characterized with in situ light scattering and optical microscopy.