Polydispersity, equilibrium phase diagrams

When analyzing the deviations of phase equilibrium for real polymeric systems forming a mesophase from the theoretically calculated phase diagram, we must pay attention to one more circumstance, namely, polydisperse nature of real polymers. In all the cases the transition from an isotropic solution to anisotropic one is a result of superposition of equilibria typical of individual fractions of a polymer, which differ in molecular mass. As was shown by Flory this must result in a broadening... 

To conclude this brief introduction, we note that there are many other aspects not covered in this chapter that are nevertheless important for practical applications. Those include material purity and polydispersity, processing, environmental health and safety, toxicology, and others. Clearly, as we understand more and more about the specific mechanisms of nanoparticle/human cell interactions, there will be new changes in the chemical engineering, processing, and preparation of nanocomposite materials. For the purposes of this chapter, however, we concentrate mainly on the simplified equilibrium aspects of nanocomposite polymer blends, from morphology and phase diagrams to mechanical and physical properties. 

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