TY - CONF A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Nano-sized Relaxation Spectroscopy of Miscible PVME/PS Blend Thin Films N2 - The moleculat dynamics of ultra thin films of polystyrene/poly(vinyl methyl ether) blends as revealed by nanosized specific heat and dielectric spectroscopy is discussed. T2 - Viscous liquids and the glass transition XV CY - Søminestationen, Holbæk, Denmark DA - 21.06.2018 KW - Thin polymeric films KW - Dielectric spectroscopy KW - Specific heat spectroscopx PY - 2018 AN - OPUS4-45280 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Glass transition of thin polymeric films as revealed by calorimetric and dielectric techniques N2 - The structure and dynamics of thin polymeric films is reviewed and discussed in the frame work of novel theoretical approaches T2 - Lähnwitzseminar on Calorimetry CY - Rostock-Warnemünde, Germany DA - 03.06.2018 KW - Thin polymeric films KW - Dielectric spectroscopy KW - Thermal süectroscopy PY - 2018 AN - OPUS4-45164 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Growth kinetics and molecular mobility of irreversibly adsorbed layers in thin polymer films N2 - In well-annealed thin polymer films, with non-repulsive polymer/substrate interactions, an irreversibly adsorbed layer is expected to from. These adsorbed layers have shown greate potential for technological applications. However, their growth kinetics and molecular dynamics are still not fully understood. This is partly due to the hard accessibility of these layers in thin films. Here, the irreversibly adsorbed layers of homopolymer thin films are revealed by solvent-leaching experiments. First, the growth kinetics of these layers is investigated as a function of annealing time, annealing temperature, leaching time and the original filme thickness. The film thickness, topography and the quality of the adsorbed layer is controlled by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Secondly, the molecular mobility of the adsorbed layer is investigated by Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy (BDS). A recently developed nanostructured capacitor arrangement is employed to measure the layer with a free surface. The results are quantitatively compared and discussed with respect to recently published work. T2 - 10th Conference on Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy and its Applications CY - Brussles, Belgium DA - 26.08.2018 KW - Thin polymer films PY - 2018 AN - OPUS4-45837 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - GEN A1 - Schönhals, Andreas A1 - Zorn, R. T1 - Elastic scans on highly permeable glassy polynorbornenes N2 - Experimantal Report to proposal 13603: Elastic Scans on Highly Permeable Glassy Polynorbornenes are measured by neutron backscatering and discuused KW - Neutron backscattering KW - Glassy polynorbornenes PY - 2018 SP - 1 EP - 2 CY - Garching (MLZ) AN - OPUS4-45436 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yin, Huajie A1 - Napolitano, S. A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Molecular mobility and glass transition of thin films of poly(bisphenol A carbonate) N2 - Glass transition behavior of thin poly(bisphenol A carbonate) (PBAC) films capped between two aluminum (Al) layers is investigated by means of dielectric expansion dilatometry and dielectric relaxation spectroscopy accompanied by contact angle measurements. The thermal glass transition temperature is more or less independent of the film thickness down to 20 nm. For thickness below 20 nm, an increase of Tg is observed. Meanwhile, an increase of the relaxation time at a fixed temperature is observed for the film with the thickness of 19 nm on the basis of a careful analysis of the temperature dependence of the relaxation rates. A more detailed analysis of the relaxation map reveals that the Vogel temperature increases and the fragility decreases systematically with decreasing film thickness. These properties are discussed in terms of the formation of a boundary layer with PBAC segments adsorbed onto the Al electrode due to the strong interaction between the Al and PBAC layers (2.51 mJ/m²), which results in a reduced molecular mobility with regard to bulk PBAC behavior. As the dielectric strength is proportional to the number of segments fluctuating on the time and length scale of the dynamic glass transition, it is used as a unique probe of the deviations from bulk behavior. The temperature dependence of the penetration depth of the interfacial interactions on the structural relaxation is further quantitatively determined. The dynamic length scale of the perturbations into the chain conformations responsible for the deviation from bulk behavior is estimated to be smaller than 9 nm. PY - 2012 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/ma202127p SN - 0024-9297 SN - 1520-5835 VL - 45 IS - 3 SP - 1652 EP - 1662 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington, DC AN - OPUS4-25472 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yin, Huajie A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Calorimetric glass transition of ultrathin poly(bisphenol A carbonate) films N2 - Specific heat spectroscopy in the frequency range from 1 Hz to 10³ Hz with a sensitivity of pJ K-1 was employed to study the glass transition behavior of ultrathin poly(bisphenol A carbonate) (PBAC) films with thicknesses ranging from 192 nm down to 10 nm. The amplitude and the phase angle of the complex differential voltage as a measure of the complex heat capacity were obtained as a function of temperature at a given frequency simultaneously. Both spectra are used to determine the dynamic glass transition temperature as a function of both the frequency and the film thickness. As the main result no thickness dependence of the dynamic glass transition temperature was observed down to a film thickness of 10 nm within the experimental uncertainty of ±3 K. The obtained data were compared with literature results in detail. PY - 2012 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/c2sm26174j SN - 1744-683X VL - 8 IS - 35 SP - 9132 EP - 9139 PB - RSC Publ. CY - Cambridge AN - OPUS4-26379 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Boucher, V.M. A1 - Cangialosi, D. A1 - Yin, Huajie A1 - Schönhals, Andreas A1 - Alegría, A. A1 - Colmenero, J. T1 - Tg depression and invariant segmental dynamics in polystyrene thin films N2 - We investigate the segmental dynamics and glass transition temperature (Tg) of polystyrene (PS) thin films. The former is investigated by alternating current (AC) calorimetry and dielectric spectroscopy (BDS). The Tg, underlying the equilibrium to out-of-equilibrium crossover from the supercooled liquid to the glass, is obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and capacitive dilatometry (CD). We show that the intrinsic molecular dynamics of PS are independent of the film thickness both for the freestanding and supported films, whereas Tg decreases with film thickness from several microns down to 15 nm. This result is found for complementary methods and in a simultaneous measurement in BDS and CD. This questions the widespread notion that segmental mobility and the equilibrium to out-of-equilibrium transition are, under any experimental conditions, fully interrelated. For thin films, it appears that the molecular mobility and Tg are affected differently by geometrical factors. PY - 2012 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/c2sm25419k SN - 1744-683X VL - 8 IS - 19 SP - 5119 EP - 5122 PB - RSC Publ. CY - Cambridge AN - OPUS4-25805 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Yin, Huajie A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Glass transition and segmental dynamics of ultrathin poly(bisphenol A carbonate) films N2 - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS), capacitive scanning dilatometry (CSD) and differential ac-chip calorimetry (DACC) were used to examine the glass transition and segmental dynamics of ultrathin poly(bisphenol A carbonate) (PBAC) films. An increase of Vogel temperature (T0) as well as glass transition temperature (Tg) with decreasing film thickness was observed when the thickness is less than 20 nm. Moreover, the segmental relaxation time at a fixed temperature was found to increase for the aluminium (Al) capped PBAC films (<20 nm) in the BDS measurements, whereas in the DACC measurements no thickness dependency of the segmental dynamics was detected within the experimental error limit for the supported PBAC films (10-55 nm). These properties are discussed in terms of the thin film geometry and the relevant interfacial interaction between the polymer and the substrate. T2 - 6th International conference on times of polymers (TOP) and composites CY - Ischia, Italy DA - 10.06.2012 KW - Ultrathin film KW - Poly(bisphenol A carbonate) KW - Glass transition KW - Aluminium KW - Dielectric thin films KW - Differential scanning calorimetry KW - Permittivity KW - Polymer films PY - 2012 SN - 978-0-7354-1061-9 DO - https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4738399 N1 - Serientitel: AIP conference proceedings – Series title: AIP conference proceedings IS - 1459 SP - 64 EP - 67 AN - OPUS4-26349 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Omar, Hassan A1 - Ahmadi, Shayan A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Molecular Mobility of Thin Films of Poly (bisphenol-A carbonate) Capped and with one Free Surface: From Bulk-like Samples down to the Adsorbed Layer N2 - The molecular mobility of thin films of poly(bisphenol A carbonate) (PBAC) was systematically investigated using broadband dielectric spectroscopy, employing two distinct electrode configurations. First, films were prepared in a capped geometry between aluminum electrodes employing a crossed electrode capacitor (CEC) configuration, down to film thicknesses of 40 nm. The Vogel temperature, derived from the temperature dependence of relaxation rate of the α-relaxation, increases with decreasing film thickness characterized by an onset thickness. The onset thickness depends on the annealing conditions, with less intense annealing yielding a lower onset thickness. Additionally, a broadening of the β-relaxation peak was observed with decreasing thickness, attributed to the interaction of phenyl groups with thermally evaporated aluminum, resulting in a shift of certain relaxation modes to higher temperatures relative to the bulk material. A novel phenomenon, termed the slow Arrhenius process (SAP), was also identified in proximity to the α-relaxation temperature. For films with thicknesses below 40 nm, nanostructured electrodes (NSE) were utilized, incorporating nanostructured silica spacers to establish a free surface with air. This free surface causes an enhancement in the molecular mobility for the 40 nm sample, preserving the β-relaxation as a distinct peak. The α-relaxation was detectable in the dielectric loss down to 18 nm, shifting to higher temperatures as film thickness is decreased. Notably, the onset thickness for the increase in Vogel temperature was lower in the NSE configuration compared to the CEC setup, attributed to the presence of the polymer-air interface. KW - Thin polymer films PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-623422 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sm01238k SN - 1744-6848 VL - 21 IS - 2 SP - 241 EP - 254 PB - RSC AN - OPUS4-62342 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kimiaei, E. A1 - Farooq, M. A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina A1 - Ahmadi, Shayan A1 - Babaeipour, S. A1 - Schönhals, Andreas A1 - Österberg, M. T1 - The role of lignin as interfacial compatibilizer in designing lignocellulosic-polyester composite films N2 - Advancing nanocomposites requires a deep understanding and careful design of nanoscale interfaces, as interfacial interactions and adhesion significantly influence the physical and mechanical properties of these materials. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) as interfacial compatibilizer between hydrophilic cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) and a hydrophobic polyester, polycaprolactone (PCL). In this context, we conducted a detailed analysis of surface-to-bulk interactions in both wet and dry conditions using advanced techniques such as quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D), atomic force microscopy (AFM), water contact angle (WCA) measurements, broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS), and inverse gas chromatography (IGC). QCM-D was employed to quantify the adsorption behavior of LNPs on CNF and PCL surfaces, demonstrating LNPs’ capability to interact with both hydrophilic and hydrophobic phases, thereby enhancing composite material properties. LNPs showed extensive adsorption on a CNF model film (1186 ± 178 ng.cm−2) and a lower but still significant adsorption on a PCL model film (270 ± 64 ng.cm−2). In contrast, CNF adsorption on a PCL model film was the lowest, with a sensed mass of only 136 ± 35 ng.cm−2. These findings were further supported by comparing the morphology and wettability of the films before and after adsorption, using AFM and WCA analyses. Then, to gain insights into the molecular-level interactions and molecular mobility within the composite in dry state, BDS was employed. The BDS results showed that LNPs improved the dispersion of PCL within the CNF network. To further investigate the impact of LNPs on the composites’ interfacial properties, IGC was employed. This analysis showed that the composite films containing LNPs exhibited lower surface energy compared to those composed of only CNF and PCL. The presence of LNPs likely reduced the availability of surface hydroxyl groups, thus modifying the physicochemical properties of the interface. These changes were particularly evident in the heterogeneity of the surface energy profile, indicating that LNPs significantly altered the interfacial characteristics of the composite materials. Overall, these findings emphasize the necessity to control the interfaces between components for next-generation nanocomposite materials across diverse applications. KW - Lignin KW - Nanocomposites PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-615098 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2024.10.083 SN - 0021-9797 VL - 679 SP - 263 EP - 275 PB - Elsevier Inc. AN - OPUS4-61509 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Xu, Q. A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina A1 - Kolmangadi, Mohamed A. A1 - Yang, Z. A1 - Wang, S. A1 - Gao, Y. A1 - Shang, J. A1 - Hunger, J. A1 - Aldiyarov, A. A1 - Schönhals, Andreas A1 - Ge, Y. A1 - Qi, Z. T1 - Molecular engineering of supramolecular polymer adhesive with confined water and a single crown ether N2 - Here, we report a water-induced supramolecular polymer built from confined structural water and an intrinsic amphiphilic macrocyclic self-assembly in a nanophase separated structure. The newly designed crown ether macrocycle, featuring strong hydrophilic hydrogen bonding receptor selenoxide and a synergistical hydrophobic selenium-substituted crown core, confines the structural water in a segregated, interdigitated architecture. Although water molecules typically freeze around 0 °C, the confined structural water in this supramolecular polymer remains in a liquid-like state down to 80 °C. Previous studies suggest that multiple crown ether units are needed to generate structural water. However, here, one unit is sufficient to control the formation and disappearance of structural water and consequent supramolecular polymerization. Typically, the DC conductivity of water shows Arrhenius temperature dependency (lnσDC ∝ 1/T). In contrast, this new crown unit maintains water in confined states, which exhibit a Vogel/Fulcher/Tammann behavior (lnσDC ∝ 1/(T-T0)) at temperatures above the glass transition temperature. Moreover, this water-induced supramolecular polymer exhibits remarkable adhesion properties to hydrophilic surfaces and maintains tough adhesion at low temperatures. These findings show how a single small macrocycle can govern the complex structure and functionality of water in supramolecular systems. KW - Supramolecular polymerization PY - 2025 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-623631 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D4SC06771A SN - 2041-6539 VL - 16 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - RSC AN - OPUS4-62363 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Li, Z. A1 - Raab, A. A1 - Kolmangadi, Mohamed Aejaz A1 - Busch, M. A1 - Grunwald, M. A1 - Demel, F. A1 - Bertram, F. A1 - Kityk, A. V. A1 - Schönhals, Andreas A1 - Laschat, S. A1 - Huber, P. T1 - Self-Assembly of Ionic Superdiscs in Nanopores N2 - Discotic ionic liquid crystals (DILCs) consist of self-assembled superdiscs of cations and anions that spontaneously stack in linear columns with high one-dimensional ionic and electronic charge mobility, making them prominent model systems for functional soft matter. Compared to classical nonionic discotic liquid crystals, many liquid crystalline structures with a combination of electronic and ionic conductivity have been reported, which are of interest for separation membranes, artificial ion/proton conducting membranes, and optoelectronics. Unfortunately, a homogeneous alignment of the DILCs on the macroscale is often not achievable, which significantly limits the applicability of DILCs. Infiltration into nanoporous solid scaffolds can, in principle, overcome this drawback. However, due to the experimental challenges to scrutinize liquid crystalline order in extreme spatial confinement, little is known about the structures of DILCs in nanopores. Here, we present temperaturedependent high-resolution optical birefringence measurement and 3D reciprocal space mapping based on synchrotron X-ray scattering to investigate the thermotropic phase behavior of dopamine-based ionic liquid crystals confined in cylindrical channels of 180 nm diameter in macroscopic anodic aluminum oxide membranes. As a function of the membranes’ hydrophilicity and thus the molecular anchoring to the pore walls (edge-on or face-on) and the variation of the hydrophilic−hydrophobic balance between the aromatic cores and the alkyl side chain motifs of the superdiscs by tailored chemical synthesis, we find a particularly rich phase behavior, which is not present in the bulk state. It is governed by a complex interplay of liquid crystalline elastic energies (bending and splay deformations), polar interactions, and pure geometric confinement and includes textural transitions between radial and axial alignment of the columns with respect to the long nanochannel axis. Furthermore, confinement-induced continuous order formation is observed in contrast to discontinuous first-order phase transitions, which can be quantitatively described by Landau-de Gennes free energy models for liquid crystalline order transitions in confinement. Our observations suggest that the infiltration of DILCs into nanoporous solids allows tailoring their nanoscale texture and ion channel formation and thus their electrical and optical functionalities over an even wider range than in the bulk state in a homogeneous manner on the centimeter scale as controlled by the monolithic nanoporous scaffolds. KW - Ionic Liquid Crystals KW - Nanopropous materials KW - Landau de-Gennes analysis KW - X-ray scattering KW - Optical birefringence PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-600797 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.4c01062 SN - 1936-0851 VL - 18 IS - 22 SP - 14414 EP - 14426 PB - ACS AN - OPUS4-60079 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Krause, Christina A1 - Zorn, R. A1 - Frick, B. A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Quasi- and inelastic neutron scattering to investigate the molecular dynamics of discotic molecules in the bulk N2 - In- and quasielastic neutron scattering is employed to investigate both the vibrational density of states and the molecular dynamics of two homologous discotic liquid crystals (DLC) with different length of the alkyl side chain based on a triphenylene derivate. For both compounds characteristic low frequency excess contributions to the vibrational density of states are found. Therefore it is concluded that these liquid crystals show a glass-like behaviour. Elastic scans further show that in these materials a rich molecular dynamics takes place. T2 - QENS/WINS 2014 - 11th International Conference on Quasielastic Neutron Scattering and 6th International Workshop on Inelastic Neutron Spectrometers CY - Autrans, France DA - 2014-05-11 PY - 2015 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-325477 DO - https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/20158302017 SN - 2100-014X VL - 83 SP - 02017-1 EP - 02017-4 PB - EDP Sciences CY - Les Ulis AN - OPUS4-32547 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Yin, Huajie A1 - Schönhals, Andreas ED - Utracki, L.A. ED - Wilkie, C. A. T1 - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy on polymer blends N2 - In this chapter broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS) is employed to polymeric blend systems. In its modern form BDS can cover an extraordinary broad frequency range from 10-4 to 1012 Hz. Therefore, molecular and collective dipolar fluctuations, charge transport, and polarization effects at inner phase boundaries can be investigated in detail including its temperature dependence. In the first part of the chapter, the theoretical basics of dielectric spectroscopy are briefly introduced covering both static and dynamic aspects. This section is followed by short description of the various experimental techniques to cover this broad frequency range. To provide the knowledge to understand the dielectric behavior of polymeric blend systems, the dielectric features of amorphous homopolymers are discussed in some detail. This concerns an introduction of the most important relaxation processes observed for these polymers (localized fluctuations, segmental dynamics related to the dynamic glass transition, chain relaxation), a brief introduction to the conductivity of disordered systems as well as polarization effects at phase boundaries. Theoretical models for each process are shortly discussed. In the last paragraph the dielectric behavior of polymer blends is reviewed where special attention is paid to binary systems for the sake of simplicity. In detail the dielectric behavior of binary miscible blends is described. The two most important experimental facts like the broadening of the dielectric relaxation spectra and the dynamic heterogeneity of the segmental dynamics are addressed in depth. Appropriate theoretical approaches like the temperature-driven concentration fluctuation model and the self-concentration idea are introduced. PY - 2014 SN - 978-94-007-6063-9 SN - 978-94-007-6064-6 SN - 978-94-007-6065-3 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6064-6_14 SP - Chapter 12, 1299 EP - 1356 PB - Springer Science + Business Media AN - OPUS4-32087 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Molecular Dynamics of linear poly(n-isopropylacrylamide) in water below and above the phase transition: A broadband dielectric relaxation spectroscopy study T2 - Polydays 2014 CY - Berlin, Germany DA - 2014-09-30 PY - 2014 AN - OPUS4-32279 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fahmy, A. A1 - Mohamed, T.A. A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Structure of plasma poly(acrylic acid): Influence of pressure and dielectric properties N2 - Thin poly(acrylic acid) PAA films were deposited by pulsed plasma polymerization on different organic and inorganic substrates. The structure–property relationships of the deposited acrylic acid polymers were studied in dependence on the monomer pressure by various techniques and probes. The surface and bulk properties of the plasma deposited films were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, attenuated total reflection infrared, and broad band dielectric spectroscopy. The experimental infrared frequencies of PAA films are compared with those predicted from quantum mechanical calculation. The concentration of the COOH groups in the film (stored in ambient air) decreased by about 15 % compared to the as-prepared sample. The plasma deposited PAA probably form a highly branched product. However, the dielectric measurements show that in addition to the hydrogen bonds, self condensation process was able to hinder the localized fluctuation as well. These processes lead to form a cross-linked network polymer film. Nevertheless, a low energy is sufficient to break these processes during heating at atmospheric pressure. Therefore, homogenized samples with free branches (functional group) were obtained after a first heating with structures close to conventional polymerized acrylic acid. Thus, a thermally stable product was obtained. KW - Acrylic acid KW - Plasma polymerization KW - Dielectric properties KW - Thermal stability KW - Aging KW - Monomer pressure PY - 2015 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s11090-014-9603-8 SN - 0272-4324 VL - 35 IS - 2 SP - 303 EP - 320 PB - Plenum Publ. Corp. CY - New York, NY, USA AN - OPUS4-32711 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dhotel, A. A1 - Chen, Z. A1 - Sun, J. A1 - Youssef, B. A1 - Saiter, J.-M. A1 - Schönhals, Andreas A1 - Tan, L. A1 - Delbreilh, L. T1 - From monomers to self-assembled monolayers: the evolution of molecular mobility with structural confinements N2 - The effect of structural constriction on molecular mobility is investigated by broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS) within three types of molecular arrangements: monomers, oligomers and self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). While disordered monomers exhibit a variety of cooperative and local relaxation processes, the constrained nanodomains of oligomers and highly ordered structure of monolayers exhibit much hindered local molecular fluctuations. Particularly, in SAMs, motions of the silane headgroups are totally prevented whereas the polar endgroups forming the monolayer canopy show only one cooperative relaxation process. This latter molecular fluctuation is, for the first time, observed independently from other overlapping dielectric signals. Numerous electrostatic interactions among those dipolar endgroups are responsible for the strong cooperativity and heterogeneity of the canopy relaxation process. Our data analyses also revealed that the bulkiness of dipolar endgroups can disrupt the organization of the monolayer canopy thus increasing their ability to fluctuate as temperature is increased. PY - 2015 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/c4sm01893a SN - 1744-683X VL - 11 IS - 4 SP - 719 EP - 731 PB - RSC Publ. CY - Cambridge AN - OPUS4-32378 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Behavior of Ultra-Thin Polymerich Films as Investigated by a Combination of Complementary Methods T2 - Kolloquiumsvortrag Universität Bielefeld, Fakultät für Physik CY - Bielefeld, Germany DA - 2014-12-12 PY - 2014 AN - OPUS4-32354 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Brás, A.R. A1 - Fonseca, I.M. A1 - Dionísio, M. A1 - Schönhals, Andreas A1 - Affouard, F. A1 - Correia, N.T. T1 - Influence of nanoscale confinement on the molecular mobility of ibuprofen N2 - The molecular mobility of ibuprofen confined to a mesoporous silica host (MCM-41) of 3.6 nm pore diameter is investigated by dielectric relaxation spectroscopy. It is confirmed that crystallization is suppressed; therefore, depending on the temperature, the guest exists in the glassy and supercooled state inside of the pores. A detailed relaxation map is provided where multiple processes are dynamically characterized, comprised of three processes that are also found for the bulk and two additional ones. The bulk-like processes include two secondary processes, a simple thermally activated one, a γ process and a Johari–Goldstein βJG process, and the one associated with the dynamic glass transition of molecules located in the pore center (α process). In confinement, all of these processes display deviations in its dynamical behavior relative to the bulk, the most dramatic one undergone by the α process, which exhibits Arrhenius-like temperature dependence upon approaching the glass transition instead of Vogel/Fulcher/Tammann/Hesse (VFTH) scaling as obeyed by the bulk. The two additional relaxations are associated with the dynamical behavior of hydrogen-bonded ibuprofen molecules lying in an interfacial layer near the pore wall, an S process for which the mobility is strongly reduced relative to the α process and a Debye-like D process for which the dynamics is closely correlated to the dynamics of the interfacial process, both exhibiting VFTH temperature dependencies. The comparison with the behavior of the same guest in the analogous host, SBA-15, with a higher pore diameter (8.6 nm) leads to the conclusion that the bulk-like mobility associated with the dynamic glass transition undergoes finite size effects being accelerated upon a decrease of the pore size with a concomitant reduction of the glass transition temperature relative to the bulk, 22 and 32 K, respectively, for the 8.6 and 3.6 nm pore diameters. The continuous decrease in the separation between the α- and βJG-trace with pore size decrease allows one to conclude that confined ibuprofen is a suitable guest molecule to test the Coupling Model that predicts a transformation of the α process into a βJG-mode under conditions of an extreme nanoconfinement. The overall behavior inside of pores is consistent with the existence of two distinct dynamical domains, originated by ibuprofen molecules in the core of the pore cavity and adjacent to the pore wall, from which a clear picture is given by molecular dynamics simulation. PY - 2014 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/jp500630m SN - 1932-7447 SN - 1089-5639 VL - 118 IS - 25 SP - 13857 EP - 13868 PB - Soc. CY - Washington, DC AN - OPUS4-31170 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Molecular Dynamics of Discotic Liquid Crystals in the Bulk and embedded in Nanochannels T2 - 8th International Conference on Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy and its Applications CY - Wisla, Poland DA - 2014-09-15 PY - 2014 AN - OPUS4-31464 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Molecular Dynamics of Linear Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) in Water below and above the Phase Transition: A Broadband Dielectric Relaxation Spectroscopy Study T2 - 8th International Conference on Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy and its Applications CY - Wisla, Poland DA - 2014-09-15 PY - 2014 AN - OPUS4-31465 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kityk, A.V. A1 - Busch, M. A1 - Rau, D. A1 - Calus, S. A1 - Cerclier, C.V. A1 - Lefort, R. A1 - Morineau, D. A1 - Grelet, E. A1 - Krause, Christina A1 - Schönhals, Andreas A1 - Frick, B. A1 - Huber, P. T1 - Thermotropic orientational order of discotic liquid crystals in nanochannels: an optical polarimetry study and a Landau-de Gennes analysis N2 - Optical polarimetry measurements of the orientational order of a discotic liquid crystal based on a pyrene derivative confined in parallelly aligned nanochannels of monolithic, mesoporous alumina, silica, and silicon as a function of temperature, channel radius (3–22 nm) and surface chemistry reveal a competition of radial and axial columnar orders. The evolution of the orientational order parameter of the confined systems is continuous, in contrast to the discontinuous transition in the bulk. For channel radii larger than 10 nm we suggest several, alternative defect structures, which are compatible both with the optical experiments on the collective molecular orientation presented here and with a translational, radial columnar order reported in previous diffraction studies. For smaller channel radii our observations can semi-quantitatively be described by a Landau–de Gennes model with a nematic shell of radially ordered columns (affected by elastic splay deformations) that coexists with an orientationally disordered, isotropic core. For these structures, the cylindrical phase boundaries are predicted to move from the channel walls to the channel centres upon cooling, and vice-versa upon heating, in accord with the pronounced cooling/heating hystereses observed and the scaling behavior of the transition temperatures with the channel diameter. The absence of experimental hints of a paranematic state is consistent with a biquadratic coupling of the splay deformations to the order parameter. PY - 2014 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/c4sm00211c SN - 1744-683X VL - 10 IS - 25 SP - 4522 EP - 4534 PB - RSC Publ. CY - Cambridge AN - OPUS4-30866 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schönhals, Andreas A1 - Papadakis, C.M. T1 - Editorial - Special issue in honor of Friedrich Kremer N2 - Prof. Dr. Friedrich Kremer is celebrating his 65th birthday this year. Furthermore, also for this reason, he resigned from the position as an Editor-in-Chief of the journal Colloid and Polymer Science. In his more than 20 years of successful editorship, he has substantially contributed to develop Colloid and Polymer Science to become a leading international journal in the field of polymers and colloids including their manifold connections with other branches of science. He will remain in a close connection to the journal as the new Chief Advisory Editor. To appreciate both his 65th birthday and his prosperous engagement for this journal, Springer is pleased to launch the present special issue of Colloid and Polymer Science dedicated to Prof. Dr. Friedrich Kremer. Friends, editors, and colleagues, as well as coworkers and former students contribute to this special issue with their own selected original scientific work in order to honor Prof. Dr. Friedrich Kremer not only as a leading scientist but also as a person with an outstanding personality. PY - 2014 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-014-3292-y SN - 0303-402X SN - 1435-1536 VL - 292 IS - 8 SP - 1735 EP - 1736 PB - Springer CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-31185 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Krause, Christina A1 - Zorn, R. A1 - Frick, B. A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Thermal properties and vibrational density of states of a nanoconfined discotic liquid crystal N2 - Neutron scattering is employed to investigate the vibrational density of states (VDOS) of the discotic liquid crystal 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexakis[hexyloxy] triphenylene (HAT6) confined to the pores of alumina oxide membranes with different pore sizes. Additionally, the phase transitions were studied by differential scanning calorimetry. The transitions were observed down to the smallest pore size. The decrease of the transition enthalpies versus inverse pore size for both transitions implies an increase of the amount of disordered amorphous material. By extrapolation of its pore size dependence, a critical pore diameter for structure formation of 17 nm is estimated. Similar to the bulk, excess contributions to the VDOS (Boson peak) are also observed for confined HAT6. The Boson peak gains in intensity and shifts to lower frequencies with decreasing pore diameter. This is discussed in the framework of a softening of HAT6 induced by the confinement due to a less-developed plastic crystalline state inside the pores compared to the bulk. KW - Discotic liquid crystals KW - Confinement KW - Neutron scattering KW - Boson peak PY - 2014 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-014-3247-3 SN - 0303-402X SN - 1435-1536 VL - 292 IS - 8 SP - 1949 EP - 1960 PB - Springer CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-31254 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Molecules in Nanometer Confinement investigated by Dieletric, Thermal and Neutron Spectroscopy T2 - Kolloquiumsvortrag Universität Rouen CY - Rouen, France DA - 2013-12-10 PY - 2013 AN - OPUS4-30020 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Crystallization behavior of nanocomposites based on poly(L-lactide) and layered doubled hydroxides – Unbiased determination of the rigid amorphous phase due to the crystals and the nanofiller N2 - Semicrystalline polymers have to be described by a three phase model consisting of a mobile amorphous (MAF), a crystalline (CF), and a rigid amorphous fraction (RAF). For nanocomposites based on a semicrystalline polymer the RAF is due to both the crystallites (RAFcrystal) and the filler (RAFfiller). In most cases a separation of both contributions is not possible without further assumptions. Polymer nanocomposite based on poly(L-lactide) and MgAl layered double hydroxide nanofiller were prepared. Due to the low crystallization rate of PLA its crystallization can be suppressed by a high enough cooling rate, and the RAF is due only to the nanofiller. The MAF, CF, and RAF were estimated by Temperature Modulated DSC. For the first time CF, MAF, RAFcrystal, and RAFfiller could be estimated. It was found, that RAFfiller increases linearly with the concentration of the nanofiller. Furthermore, RAFcrystal is only slightly influenced by the presence of the nanofiller. T2 - Marchmetting American Physical Society CY - New Orleans, USA DA - 13.03.2017 KW - Nanocomposites PY - 2017 AN - OPUS4-39554 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Asadujjaman, Asad A1 - Bertin, Annabelle A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Dielectric analysis of the upper critical solution temperature behaviour of a poly(acrylamide-coacrylonitrile) copolymer system in water N2 - A copolymer consisting of acrylamide (AAm) and acrylonitrile (AN) in aqueous solution was investigated using broadband dielectric spectroscopy at frequencies between 10⁻¹ Hz and 10⁶ Hz in the temperature range from 2 °C to 60 °C. This system shows an UCST phase behavior. The phase transition and aggregation behavior is monitored by both the temperature and frequency dependence of the complex conductivity σ*(f, T), where the AN fraction and the concentration of the solution were varied. Additionally, the dielectric data are compared with the results obtained from dynamic light scattering measurements. The temperature dependence of the DC conductivity (σDC) of the copolymer solution is monitored and the phase transition temperature (PTT) of the poly(AAm-co-AN) copolymer is deduced from a change in the T-dependence of the DC conductivity. The change in σDC can be explained by decreased effective charge carrier mobility and a reduction of the effective charge number density at temperatures below the phase Transition temperature of the poly(AAm-co-AN) solution. A pronounced interfacial polarization effect on the frequency dependence of the real part of the conductivity (σ') is observed at temperatures below the phase Transition temperature. The charge carriers are blocked at the formed aggregates giving rise to this interfacial polarization. The dependence of the interfacial polarization on the acrylonitrile fraction in the copolymer and the concentration of the solution is studied in detail and conclusions concerning the internal structures of the copolymer aggregates are drawn. KW - Thermoresponsive polymres PY - 2017 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/c6sm02684b SN - 1744-6848 SN - 1744-683X VL - 13 IS - 12 SP - 2384 EP - 2393 PB - Royl Society of Chemistry Publishing AN - OPUS4-39556 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -