Polymeric bicontinuous microemulsions

Frank S. Bates, Wayne W. Maurer, Paul M. Lipic, Marc A. Hillmyer, Kristoffer Almdal, Kell Mortensen, Glenn H. Fredrickson, Timothy P. Lodge

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

305 Scopus citations

Abstract

High molecular weight block copolymers can be viewed as macromolecular surfactants when blended with thermodynamically incompatible homopolymers. This Letter describes the formation of polymeric bicontinuous microemulsions in mixtures containing a model diblock copolymer and two homopolymers. Although we attribute development of this equilibrium morphology to the effects of fluctuations, mean-field theory provides a quantitative strategy for preparing the bicontinuous state at blend compositions near an isotropic Lifshitz point.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)849-852
Number of pages4
JournalPhysical review letters
Volume79
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 1997

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