Critical properties and phase separation in lattice Boltzmann fluid mixtures

Basic equilibrium properties of lattice Boltzmann (LB) fluid mixtures (coexistence curve, surface tension, interfacial profile, correlation length) are calculated to characterize the critical phenomena occurring in these model liquids and to establish a reduced variable description allowing a comparison with real fluid mixtures. We observe mean-field critical exponents and amplitudes so that the LB model may be useful for modeling high molecular weight polymer blends and other fluid mixtures approximated over a wide temperature range by mean-field theory. We also briefly consider phase separation under quiescent and shearing conditions and point out the strong influence of interacting boundaries on the qualitative form of the late-stage phase-separation morphology.