TY - JOUR A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina A1 - Qu, Xintong A1 - Abbasi, M. A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard A1 - Henning, S. A1 - Li, Z. A1 - Wang, D.-Y. A1 - Schick, C. A1 - Saalwächter, K. A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Spatial inhomogeneity, Interfaces and Complex Vitrification Kinetics in a Network Forming Nanocomposite JF - Soft Matter N2 - A detailed calorimetric study on an epoxy-based nanocomposite system was performed employing bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (DGEBA) cured with diethylenetriamine (DETA) as the polymer matrix and taurine-modified MgAL layered double hydroxide (T-LDH) as nanofiller. The -NH2 group of taurine can react with DGEBA improving the interaction of the polymer with the filler. The combined X-ray scattering, and electron microscopy data showed that the nanocomposite has a partially exfoliated morphology. Calorimetric studies were performed with conventional DSC, temperature modulated DSC (TMDSC) and fast scanning calorimetry (FSC) in the temperature modulated approach (TMFSC) to investigate the vitrification and molecular mobility in dependence of the filler concentration. First, TMDSC and NMR were used to estimate the amount of the rigid amorphous fraction which consists of immobilized polymer segments at the nanoparticle surface. It was found to be 40 wt% for the highest filler concentration, indicating that the interface dominates the overall macroscopic properties and behavior of the material to a great extent. Second, the relaxation rates of the α-relaxation obtained by TMDSC and TMFSC were compared with the thermal and dielectric relaxation rates measured by static FSC. The investigation revealed that the system shows two distinct α-relaxation processes. Furthermore, also two separate vitrification mechanisms were found for a bulk network-former without geometrical confinement as also confirmed by NMR. This was discussed in terms of the intrinsic spatial heterogeneity on a molecular scale, which becomes more pronounced with increasing nanofiller content. KW - Polymer based Nanocomposites PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-523199 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d0sm01992e SN - 1744-6848 VL - 17 IS - 10 SP - 2775 EP - 2790 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-52319 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wang, Z. A1 - Villa Santos, C. A1 - Legrand, A. A1 - Haase, F. A1 - Hara, Y. A1 - Kanamori, K. A1 - Aoyama, T. A1 - Urayama, K. A1 - Doherty, C. M. A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard A1 - Colon, Y. J. A1 - Furukawa, S. T1 - Multiscale structural control of linked metal–organic polyhedra gel by aging-induced linkage-reorganization JF - Chemical science N2 - Assembly of permanently porous metal–organic polyhedra/cages (MOPs) with bifunctional linkers leads to soft supramolecular networks featuring both porosity and processability. However, the amorphous nature of such soft materials complicates their characterization and thus limits rational structural control. Here we demonstrate that aging is an effective strategy to control the hierarchical network of supramolecular gels, which are assembled from organic ligands as linkers and MOPs as junctions. Normally, the initial gel formation by rapid gelation leads to a kinetically trapped structure with low controllability. Through a controlled post-synthetic aging process, we show that it is possible to tune the network of the linked MOP gel over multiple length scales. This process allows control on the molecular-scale rearrangement of interlinking MOPs, mesoscale fusion of colloidal particles and macroscale densification of the whole colloidal network. In this work we elucidate the relationships between the gel properties, such as porosity and rheology, and their hierarchical structures, which suggest that porosity measurement of the dried gels can be used as a powerful tool to characterize the microscale structural transition of their corresponding gels. This aging strategy can be applied in other supramolecular polymer systems particularly containing kinetically controlled structures and shows an opportunity to engineer the structure and the permanent porosity of amorphous materials for further applications. KW - SAXS KW - Metal-organic polyhedra KW - Structural control PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-532309 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d1sc02883a SN - 1478-6524 SN - 1742-2183 VL - 12 IS - 38 SP - NIL_1 EP - NIL_9 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry CY - Cambridge AN - OPUS4-53230 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yildirim, Arda A1 - Sentker, K. A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard A1 - Huber, P. A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Collective orientational order and phase behavior of a discotic liquid crystal under nanoscale confinement JF - Nanosale advances N2 - The phase behavior and molecular ordering of hexakishexyloxy triphenylene (HAT6) DLC under cylindrical nanoconfinement is studied utilizing differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dielectric spectroscopy (DS), where cylindrical nanoconfinement is established through embedding HAT6 into the nanopores of anodic aluminum oxide membranes (AAO), and a silica membrane with pore diameters ranging from 161 nm down to 12 nm. Both unmodified and modified pore walls were considered, and in the latter case the pore walls of AAO membranes were chemical treated with n octadecylphosphonic acid (ODPA) resulting in the formation of a 2.2 nm thick layer of grafted alkyl chains. Phase transition enthalpies decrease with decreasing pore size, indicating that a large proportion of the HAT6 molecules within the pores has a disordered structure, which increases with decreasing pore size for both pore walls. In the case of the ODPA modification the amount of ordered HAT6 is increased compared to the unmodified case. The pore size dependencies of the phase transition temperatures were approximated using the Gibbs Thomson equation, where the estimated surface tension is dependent on the molecular ordering of HAT6 molecules within the pores and upon their surface. DS was employed to investigate the molecular ordering of HAT6 within the nanopores. These investigations revealed that with a pore size of around 38 nm, for the samples with the unmodified pore walls, the molecular ordering changes from planar axial to homeotropic radial. However, the planar axial configuration, which is suitable for electronic applications, can be successfully preserved through ODPA modification for most of the pore sizes. KW - Discotic Liquid Crystals KW - Nanoconfinement PY - 2019 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-475222 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/c8na00308d SN - 2516-0230 VL - 1 IS - 3 SP - 1104 EP - 1116 PB - RSC AN - OPUS4-47522 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yin, Huajie A1 - Chapala, P. A1 - Bermeshev, M. A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard A1 - Schönhals, Andreas A1 - Böhning, Martin T1 - Influence of Trimethylsilyl Side Groups on the Molecular Mobility and Charge Transport in Highly Permeable Glassy Polynorbornenes JF - ACS Applied Polymer Materials N2 - Superglassy polymers with a large fractional free volume have emerged as novel materials with a broad range of applications, especially in the field of membrane separations. Highly permeable addition-type substituted polynorbornenes with high thermal resistance and chemical stability are among the most promising materials. The major obstacle for extending the practical membrane application is their strong tendency to physical aging, leading to a partial decline in their superior transport performance over time. In the present study, broadband dielectric spectroscopy with complementary X-ray scattering techniques were employed to reveal changes in microporous structure, molecular mobility, and conductivity by systematic comparison of two polynorbornenes with different numbers of trimethylsilyl side groups. Their response upon heating (aging) was compared in terms of structure, dynamics, and charge transport behavior. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of the observed Maxwell−Wagner−Sillars polarization at internal interfaces provides unique information about the microporous structure in the solid films. The knowledge obtained from the experiments will guide and unlock potential in synthesizing addition-type polynorbornenes with versatile properties. KW - Dielectric spectroscopy KW - Molecular mobility KW - Electrical conductivity KW - Gas separation membranes PY - 2019 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.9b00092 SN - 2637-6105 VL - 1 IS - 4 SP - 844 EP - 855 PB - ACS CY - Washington DC AN - OPUS4-47838 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zorn, R. A1 - Yin, Huajie A1 - Lohstroh, W. A1 - Harrison, W. A1 - Budd, P.M. A1 - Pauw, Brian Richard A1 - Böhning, Martin A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Anomalies in the low frequency vibrational density of states for a polymer with intrinsic microporosity - the Boson peak of PIM-1 JF - Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics N2 - Polymers with intrinsic microporosity are promising candidates for the active separation layer in gas separation membranes. Here, the vibrational density of states (VDOS) for PIM-1, the prototypical polymer with intrinsic microporosity, is investigated by means of inelastic neutron scattering. The results are compared to data measured for a more conventional high-performance polyimide used in gas separation membranes (Matrimid). The measured data show the characteristic low frequency excess contribution to VDOS above the Debye sound wave level, generally known as the Boson peak in glass-forming materials. In comparison to the Boson peak of Matrimid, that of PIM-1 is shifted to lower frequencies. This shift is discussed considering the microporous, sponge-like structure of PIM-1 as providing a higher compressibility at the molecular scale than for conventional polymers. For an annealed PIM-1 sample, the Boson peak shifts to higher frequencies in comparison to the un-annealed sample. These changes in the VDOS of the annealed PIM-1 sample are related to changes in the microporous structure as confirmed by X-ray scattering. KW - Polymers KW - Boson peak KW - Neutron scattering KW - Physical aging KW - Polymer of intrinsic microporosity PY - 2018 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/C7CP07141H SN - 1463-9076 SN - 1463-9084 VL - 20 IS - 3 SP - 1355 EP - 1363 PB - The Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-43808 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -