Introduction

Abstract

What is meant by the title “Fundamentals of Phase Separation in Polymer Blend Thin Films?” Before explaining the title by the research content, I would like to explain the principle behind the questions I asked during my PhD: “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.” Dubiously attributed to Einstein, the principle is effectively Occam’s Razor—given the same explanatory ability, simpler theories are preferable to more complex ones—but with a built in warning against overzealous simplification—a theory that ignores data in the name of simplicity is too simple.