Nematic-isotropic interfaces in semiflexible polymer blends

We present calculations of the anisotropy of the tension of interfaces separating an isotropic phase rich in a flexible polymer from a nematic phase rich in a semiflexible polymer. We find that the interfacial tension is always lower when the director is parallel to the plane of the interface than when it is perpendicular. The ratio of the tension in the perpendicular to parallel case can be quite large, of order 5 or so, depending on the strength of the nematic interactions. We also find that the interfacial width is always lower in the parallel case even though the tension is lower; this is because the orientational density prefers parallel alignment of chains at the interface.