Fluctuations and Shape Dependence of Microphase Separation in Systems with Long-Range Interactions
Amit Kumar, S. A. Safran
Abstract
The combination of phase separation and long-ranged, effective, Coulomb interactions results in microphase separation. We predict the sizes and shapes of such microdomains and uniquely their dependence on the macroscopic sample shape which also affects the effective interfacial tension of fluctuations of the lamellar phase. These are applied to equilibrium salt solutions and block copolymers. Nonequilibrium phase separation in the presence of chemical reactions (e.g., cellular condensates) is mapped to the Coulomb theory to which our predictions apply. In some cases, the effective interfacial tension can be ultralow.
Topics & Concepts
Lamellar structureCoulombMaterials scienceSurface tensionRange (aeronautics)Non-equilibrium thermodynamicsPhase (matter)Lamellar phaseChemical physicsTension (geology)Condensed matter physicsThermodynamicsPhysicsComposite materialElectronQuantum mechanicsUltimate tensile strengthBlock Copolymer Self-AssemblyRheology and Fluid Dynamics StudiesAdvanced Mathematical Modeling in Engineering