A theoretical study of stress induced slip at polymer-polymer interfaces

Abstract

The phenomena of stress-induced tangential slip at interfaces between immiscible polymer melts is studied by analytic theory and simulation. Characteristic interfacial slip velocities are predicted, at which the interfacial stress behavior qualitatively changes. Interfacial stress is found to be primarily governed by the slip direction alignment of interfacially entangled strands, and the convective release of interfacial entanglements. Simulations combine a slip-link description of polymer entanglement with a self-consistent field description of a polymer-polymer interface.