Process by which phase domains increase in size during the aging of a multiphase material.
Notes:
- In the coarsening at the late stage of phase separation, volumes and compositions of phase domains are conserved.
- Representative mechanisms for coarsening at the late stage of phase separation are:
(1) material flow in domains driven by interfacial tension (observed in a co-continuous morphology),
(2) the growth of domain size by evaporation from smaller droplets and condensation into larger droplets, and
(3) coalescence (fusion) of more than two droplets.
The mechanisms are usually called
(1) Siggia s mechanism,
(2) Ostwald ripening (or the Lifshitz–Slyozov mechanism), and
(3) coalescence.
- Morphology coarsening can be substantially stopped by, for example, vitrification, crosslinking, and pinning, the slowing down of molecular diffusion across domain interfaces.
Source:
PAC, 2004, 76, 1985
(Definition of terms related to polymer blends, composites, and multiphase polymeric
materials (IUPAC Recommendations 2004))
on page 2000
Cite as:
IUPAC. Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 2nd ed. (the "Gold Book"). Compiled by
A. D. McNaught and A. Wilkinson. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford (1997).
XML on-line corrected version: http://goldbook.iupac.org (2006-) created by M. Nic,
J. Jirat, B. Kosata; updates compiled by A. Jenkins. ISBN 0-9678550-9-8.
https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.
