Composition fluctuations within the mean-field and three-dimensional Ising range were measured in a homogeneous binary polymer blend by small angle neutron scattering as a function of temperature and pressure. The experimental data were analyzed in terms of the crossover function of Belyakov and Kiselev [Physica A 190, 75 (1992)]. It is shown that the reduced-crossover-temperature, the Ginzburg number Gi, decreases with pressure sensitively, in accordance with the prediction of Belyakov and Kiselev. On the other hand, de Gennes’ crossover criterion for polymer blends predicts an increase of Gi with pressure which contradicts our results.

• Received 26 September 1994

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.52.R1288