Strong Segregation Limit theory

Fig. 2.38 Phase diagram computed using the strong segregation limit theory of Helfand and Wasserman (1982) for the poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(butylene oxide) (PEO-PBO) diblock system. Because the ratio of statistical segment lengths aPB0/ 1, the phase diagram is asymmetric about/= 0.5 (Hamley 1997).

In this review, we introduce another approach to study the multiscale structures of polymer materials based on a lattice model. We first show the development of a Helmholtz energy model of mixing for polymers based on close-packed lattice model by combining molecular simulation with statistical mechanics. Then, holes are introduced to account for the effect of pressure. Combined with WDA, this model of Helmholtz energy is further applied to develop a new lattice DFT to calculate the adsorption of polymers at solid-liquid interface. Finally, we develop a framework based on the strong segregation limit (SSL) theory to predict the morphologies of micro-phase separation of diblock copolymers confined in curved surfaces. 

We now turn to the case of block copolymers. Early work by Shull [20] considered a lamellar arrangement parallel to the walls only. From such calculations, one obtains a unified treatment of both the weak and the strong segregation limit within mean field theory, and a detailed description of the order parameter profiles across the thin film emerges. 

Fig. 21. Ratio between the interface tension 7 and the simple expression for the strong segregation limit yssL in (54) as a function of inverse incompatibility. Symbols correspond to Monte Carlo results for the bond fluctuation model, the solid line shows the result of the SCF theory, and the dashed line presents first corrections to (54) calculated by Semenov. Also an estimate of the interface tension from the spectrum of capillary waves is shown to agree well with the results of the reweighting method. Adapted from Schmid and Muller [107]...

Another interesting treatment [335] connecting Leibler s [43] mean field theory of the weak segregation limit (where X ocN ) and the strong segregation limit (where is achieved in terms of a density functional theory. 

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