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This study explores the role of elasticity in phase separation within swollen elastomers, revealing that microphase separation can be attributed to the interplay between elastic and thermodynamic interactions. By applying conventional elasticity theories, the authors establish a nonlocal thermodynamic-elastic coupling that accounts for volume conservation, successfully predicting the relationship between phase transition temperature and domain size relative to elastomer stiffness. The findings provide a foundational understanding that can inform future research on elastomer behavior under varying conditions.
Elastic effects can dictate microphase separation in elastomers, revealing a surprising link between stiffness and phase transition dynamics.
Elasticity often plays a key role in regulating phase separation in physical systems. Recent experiments have shown that elastic effects can be used to control microphase separation in swollen elastomers. Here, microphase separation arises from a mismatch between the characteristic length scales of elastic and thermodynamic interactions. In this first part of a two-part paper, we show that microphase formation in elastomers can be explained using conventional theories of elasticity through a nonlocal thermodynamic-elastic coupling arising from volume conservation. Our theory reproduces the observed dependence of phase transition temperature and domain size on elastomer stiffness in isotropically swollen elastomers. In the companion paper, we investigate the effects of anisotropic swelling and inhomogeneous elastic moduli.
