Understanding electric field effects in phase-separating soft matter

ORAL

Abstract

Phase-separating fluid and polymer mixtures provide a flexible platform for the design of functional materials containing multiple segregated domains. Polarizability contrast in such systems leads to van der Waals interactions that favor immiscibility, inducing aggregation of the more polarizable molecular species. External electric fields provide a modality for biasing this behavior and tuning the miscibility of such mixtures; however, fundamental understanding of electric field effects on phase behavior has been limited by disagreement between existing theoretical approaches and experimental literature. In this talk, we report on a study of the phase separation behavior of binary mixtures of dielectric fluids, employing a recently developed field theory representation of polarizable molecular species. The role of electric fields in altering the miscibility of these systems is also discussed. Extensions to polymer blends and broader soft matter systems are briefly outlined.

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Presenters

  • Jonathan Martin

    Univ of California - Santa Barbara

Authors

  • Jonathan Martin

    Univ of California - Santa Barbara

  • Glenn Fredrickson

    Univ of California - Santa Barbara, UC Santa Barbara, Materials Research Laboratory, UC Santa Barbara, Chemical Engineering, Univ of California - Santa Barbara, Chemical Engineering, Materials, and Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, University of California - Santa Barbara, Materials Research Laboratory and Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials, University of California, Santa Barbara

  • Kris Delaney

    Univ of California - Santa Barbara, UC Santa Barbara, Materials Research Laboratory, Univ of California - Santa Barbara, Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, University of California - Santa Barbara, Materials Research Laboratory and Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials, University of California, Santa Barbara