Influence of process conditions on phase separation

The University of Groningen has used Accelrys' MesoDyn mesoscale modeling code to calculate the global ordering effects in polymer melts and solutions under simple steady shear.

Scientists have known for centuries that material properties depend just as much on processing conditions as on chemical composition, but they are just beginning to understand precisely how processing influences the resulting materials.

Until now, finding the right conditions such as shear rate or shear history has always been a process of trial and error, since no methods existed to predict material properties from processing conditions and composition. Now Accelrys' novel MesoDyn code provides a method to predict micro-phase separation in complex liquids in externally applied flow fields.

The University of Groningen has used the MesoDyn mesoscale modeling code to calculate the global ordering effects in polymer melts and solutions under simple steady shear. Both for a model system of A-B diblock copolymers and for the hexagonal phase of the specific Pluronic L64-water system, the experimentally observed most stable phase was found.