• Membrane Journal
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.97-106
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• 2002

Small angle light scattering (SALS) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) have been used to investigate the light scattering patterns with time evolved during water vapor quenching (relative humidity of 53 (${\pm}3)%$ at $26^{\circ}C$ of polysulfone (PSf)/NMP/Alcohol and chlorinated poly(vinyl chloride) (CPVC)/THF/Alcohol, respective1y. Time dependence of the position of the light scattering maximum was observed at PSf dope solutions, confirming spinodal decomposition (SD), while CPVC dope solutions showed a decreased scattered light intensity with an increased q-value, indicating nucleation & growth (NG). For the each system, domain growth rate in the intermediate and late stage of phase separation decreased with increasing the number of carbon of alcohol used as additive (non-solvent). Also, in the early stage for SD, the scattering intensity with time was in accordance with Cahn's linear theory of spinodal decomposition, regardless of types of non-solvent additive. Also, the size scales obtained by SALS were mutually compared to domain sizes gained by FE-SEM measurement. These observations of scattering pattern were much clearly observed for the 20PSf/70NMP/10n-butanol (w/w%) and agreed with the theoretical predictions for scattering patterns of each stage like the early, the intermediate, and the late stage of SD type phase separation. As the scattering maximum was observed at the larger angles (larger q) in the order of n-butanol > n-propanol > methanol > no alcohol, the pore size of final morphology decreased.