Macromolecules, Vol.31, No.1, 193-200, 1998
Kinetics of spinodal decomposition in liquid crystalline polymers: Processing effects on the phase separation morphology
Results from a Landau-Ginzburg model which treats the problem of spinodal decomposition of liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs) in solution are presented. Morphological evolution of one conserved order parameter (polymer volume fraction) and one nonconserved order parameter (the Flory orientational order parameter) is considered. Processing effects on morphology including quench temperature, composition, solvent quality, and molecular weight are presented. Simulations of example quenching experiments demonstrate that increased LCP concentration, decreased molecular weight, increased solvation, and decreased quench depth all lead to increased domain size. Implications of the model regarding the optimization of processing conditions for LCP fiber spinning and film casting are discussed.