Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-1-1999

Department

Physics and Astronomy

School

Mathematics and Natural Sciences

Abstract

A molecular dynamics simulation is performed to study the kinetics of microphase separation in a polymer-dispersed-liquid-crystal forming process. An equimolar mixture of monomers and liquid crystal molecules are thermalized in a well mixed state. The monomers are then polymerized at the same temperature. The end product is a spanning gel with liquid crystal molecules aggregating in droplets here and there. The peak position of the equal-time structure function suggests that the growth of the droplets may be described with t-0.23. The small growth exponent is just one of several features which may be attributed to the growing elastic gel. We argue that the aggregation is driven by entropy.

Comments

©Physical Review E

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevE.60.1930

Publication Title

Physical Review E

Volume

60

Issue

2

First Page

1930

Last Page

1935

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