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Title: Integral equation theory of the structure and thermodynamics of polymer blends

Journal Article · · Journal of Chemical Physics; (USA)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.457598· OSTI ID:5490246
;  [1]
  1. Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 (US)

Our recently developed RISM integral equation theory of the structure and thermodynamics of homopolymer melts is generalized to polymer mixtures. The mean spherical approximation (MSA) closure to the generalized Ornstein--Zernike equations is employed, in conjunction with the neglect of explicit chain end effects and the assumption of ideality of intramolecular structure. The theory is developed in detail for binary blends, and the random phase approximation (RPA) form for concentration fluctuation scattering is rigorously obtained by enforcing incompressibility. A microscopic, wave vector-dependent expression for the effective chi parameter measured in small angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments is derived in terms of the species-dependent direct correlation functions of the blend. The effective chi parameter is found to depend, in

DOE Contract Number:
AC04-76DP00789
OSTI ID:
5490246
Journal Information:
Journal of Chemical Physics; (USA), Vol. 91:8; ISSN 0021-9606
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English