Creation of multi-scale stripe-like patterns in thin polymer blend films

Muller-Buschbaum P., Bauer E., Pfister S., Roth S.V., Burghammer M., Riekel C., David C., Thiele U.

Research article (journal) | Peer reviewed

Abstract

Multiscale polymeric patterns resulting from flow on an inclined substrate of a binary polymer blend solution of polystyrene and poly-n-butylacrylate in toluene are analyzed with sub-microbeam GISAXS and real space techniques. The locally isotropic phase-separation structure on the 1 micron scale, including a molecular substructure, is embedded in a superstructure on the 100 micron scale of stripe-like variations of film thickness and composition oriented perpendicular to the flow direction. It is argued that the multiscale pattern results from the interplay of evaporation, convective flow, differential diffusion and spinodal decomposition. © EDP Sciences.

Details about the publication

JournalEurophysics Letters (EPL)
Volume73
Issue1
Page range35-41
StatusPublished
Release year2006
Language in which the publication is writtenEnglish
DOI10.1209/epl/i2005-10369-6
Link to the full texthttp://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=30544436056

Authors from the University of Münster

Thiele, Uwe
Professur für Theoretische Physik (Prof. Thiele)