Shear-Induced “Homogenization” of a Diluted Polymer Blend

Abstract

The miscibility of a diluted polymer blend under steady shear has been investigated in the two-phase region using fluorescence and phase-contrast microscopy. Critical exponents describing the shape of the coexistence curve and the shift of the critical temperature $\Delta T_c\left(\dot{\gamma }\right)$ were compatible with expectations based on renormalization group and mode-coupling theories, but the introduction of a reduced variable description of $\Delta T_c$ suggested a tendency for $T_c$ to saturate at high shear rates.