ABSTRACT We present a Flory‐Huggins‐based computational model to predict morphological transitions in amphiphilic polymer conetwork (APCN) bulk melts, imparted by externally‐imposed tensile and compressive deformations. We observe primarily that APCN extension favors the formation of / transformation into normal lamellae (lamellae oriented perpendicularly to the direction of the applied external force), whereas APCN compression leads to (parallel) cylinder (cylinders whose axis coincides with the direction of applied force) formation. These changes are due to the fact that the interfacial area is reduced when a normal lamella is extended and when a (parallel) cylinder is compressed. The main results of this study are summarized in a morphology phase diagram with axes the deformation ratio and polymer composition, which shows that normal lamellae dominate for most polymer compositions, provided that the tensile deformation ratio is higher than 1–2. The diagram also shows that cylinders dominate for almost all polymer compositions when the compressive deformation ratio is between 0.1–0.9. Two morphologies appear as intermediate states under deformation: the spheroidal morphology (appearing at relatively extreme polymer compositions) and the parallel lamellae (appearing at balanced compositions), with the latter indicating the preference for lamellae, either normal or parallel, close to the balanced polymer composition.
Andronikou et al. (Sun,) studied this question.