| Abstract: | The technique of small-angle light scattering (SALS) has been employed to investigate the time-dependent behavior of a single-phase, semidilute solution of polystyrene and polybutadiene in dioctyl phthalate under shear flow. Concentration fluctuations in the polymer blend solution are found to grow with time in the direction of flow, and their orientation angles evolve from 45° from the flow direction toward 0°, with the steady-state value being dependent on shear rate. SALS patterns are simulated using a modified Cahn-Hilliard-Cook model, with an additional collective restoring force to account for polymer elasticity. Predictions from this modified model for the orientation angles of the concentration fluctuations are in excellent agreement with the experimental results. Our model also predicts that the quiescent structure factor has a Gaussian form and that the steady-state orientation of the scattering patterns is dependent on shear rate. These predictions are also in good agreement with our experimental observations. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |
