Theory of the thermodynamics, structure, and dynamics of polymer blends

The authors have recently developed a microscopic statistical mechanical theory of the structure and thermodynamics of polymer melts blends and copolymer liquids which goes far beyond the traditional lattice/mean field models. The approach is based on nonperturbative, continuous space RISM integral equation methods of modern liquid state theory. This theory is capable of numerically calculating the scattering structure factors, intermolecular monomer-monomer pair correlation functions, equation-of-state and other equilibrium properties of nonpolar polymer liquids as functions of temperature, density, molecular weight, intramolecular structure, and intermolecular forces. This paper focuses on binary polymer mixtures. The authors studied two general classes of model binary blends. The first type is the 'athermal' blend for which there is no heat or volume change of mixing. The second general class of blends are those which exhibit a heat of mixing.