Polymer-blend interface width ($w=2a/\sqrt{6\chi }$)

For a strongly segregated, symmetric long-chain polymer blend, take the square-gradient functional $F/(k_{B}T{\rho }_0)=\int [\chi \varphi (1-\varphi )+a^2({\varphi }^{\prime }{)}^2/(24\varphi (1-\varphi ))]dz$. Its first integral equates the two terms, giving ${\varphi }^{\prime }=\sqrt{24\chi }\varphi (1-\varphi )/a$. Thus $\varphi =[1+\tanh (z/\ell )]/2$ with $\ell =a/\sqrt{6\chi }$. The inverse-central-slope width $w=1/{\varphi }^{\prime }(0)=2\ell$ differs by a factor two from the tanh-argument scale. The continuum approximation is marginal when these lengths approach the statistical segment size. An observed width can additionally include roughness and instrument broadening.