Validity of linear analysis in early-stage spinodal decomposition of a polymer mixture

This study explores an early stage spinoidal decomposition (SD) process started from a well characterized two-phase coexisting structure as an initial structure, based on the linearized theory of SD. In order to explore this unique SD, the authors used a model binary mixture of perdeuterated polybutadiene and protonated polyisoprene having a composition close to critical composition and imposed a two-step phase separation to this mixture. A very early stage of this spinoidal SD process is explored via time-resolved light scattering, over the time domain of which the pre-existed two phases hardly changed with time and thus provided a sort of 'confined space' for the new SD process.