Pinning of phase separation in a model of binary polymer blends

The phase-ordering kinetics of a homopolymeric binary mixture is studied numerically in the framework of the Flory-Huggins-de Gennes continuum model. For deep quenches the suppression of the evaporation-condensation mechanism leads to slower growth, due to transport of molecules along the interfaces. When the concentration of the minority phase is low all growth mechanisms are suppressed and the system exhibits a temporary stop in the separation kinetics.