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Summary: The Quantitative Study of Interfacial Instability Induced by
the Reaction of End-Functional Polymers
Edward J. Kramer, Glenn H. Fredrickson, UCSB, DMR00-80034
Reactive blending facilitates the development
of new polymer materials with desired physical
properties due to the unique combination of
polymer components. In our system, diblock
copolymers formed by the reaction of end-
functional polymers are located at the interface
between immiscible polymers. They suppress
the coalescence of the dispersed phase and
induce complex nonequilibrium morphologies
such as bicontinuous microemulsions through
the reduction of interfacial tension. The study
of this system provides an opportunity to
develop advanced research tools such as
atomic-scale microscopies and the field-
theoretic simulation technique, and apply these
tools to the study of nonequilibrium
phenomena in polymeric fluids of commercial
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