The Ludwig-Soret Effect on the Thermally Induced Phase Separation Process in Polymer Solutions: A Computational Study

The Ludwig-Soret effect was investigated in the thermally induced phase separation process via SD in polymer solutions under an externally imposed spatial linear temperature gradient using mathematical modeling and computer simulation. The mathematical model incorporated non-linear Cahn-Hilliard theory for SD, Flory-Huggins theory for thermodynamics, and the Ludwig-Soret effect for thermal diffusion. 2D simulation results revealed that the Ludwig-Soret effect had negligible impact on the phase separation mechanism in binary polymer solutions under a non-uniform temperature field, as reflected by the time evolution of the dimensionless structure factor and the transition time from the early to the intermediate stages of SD.