Eur. Phys. J. E (2009) 28: 89-96
https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2008-10420-6

Regular Article

Microphase separation in cross-linked polymer blends

Efficient replica RPA post-processing of simulation data for homopolymer networks

¹ Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Straße 38, D-01187, Dresden, Germany
² Department of Chemistry and Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNano), University of Aarhus, Langelandsgade 140, DK-8000, Århus, Denmark
³ Laboratoire de Physique, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Université de Lyon, 46 allée d’Italie, 69364, Lyon Cedex 07, France

^* e-mail: avk@pks.mpg.de

Received: 29 May 2008
Revised: 17 October 2008
Accepted: 3 December 2008
Published online: 13 January 2009

Abstract

We investigate the behaviour of randomly cross-linked (co)polymer blends using a combination of replica theory and large-scale molecular dynamics simulations. In particular, we derive the analogue of the random phase approximation for systems with quenched disorder and show how the required correlation functions can be calculated efficiently. By post-processing simulation data for homopolymer networks we are able to describe neutron scattering measurements in heterogeneous systems without resorting to microscopic detail and otherwise unphysical assumptions. We obtain structure function data which illustrate the expected microphase separation and contain system-specific information relating to the intrinsic length scales of our networks.