Competition between Micro- and Macrophase Separations in a Binary Mixture of Block Copolymers. A Dynamic Density Functional Study

Using the dynamic density functional (DDF) simulation technique, we studied the domain morphology and dynamics of phase separation in a mixture of long and short block copolymers. The simulation results well reproduce the recent results of the X-ray scattering experiment and the TEM observation on a mixture of long and short polystyrene−polyisoprene block copolymers. The DDF simulation clarifies that the three-dimensional complex domain structures and the mechanism of the dynamics of the phase separation are arising from the competition between the microphase separation and the macrophase separation.