TY - JOUR A1 - Madkour, Sherif A. A1 - Gawek, Marcel A1 - Penner, P. A1 - Paneff, F. A1 - Zhang, X. A1 - Gölzhäuser, A. A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Can Polymers be Irreversibly Adsorbed on Carbon Nanomembranes? A Combined XPS, AFM, and Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy Study N2 - Carbon nanomembranes are synthetic two-dimensional sheets with nanometer thickness, macroscopic lateral dimensions, and high structural homogeneity. They have great application potential in various branches of nanotechnology. Because of their full carbon structure, it is not clear whether macromolecules like poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) can be irreversibly adsorbed on their surface. Here, irreversible adsorption means that the polymer chains cannot be removed by a leaching process, which is assumed in technological transfer processes. However, if polar defects are present on the carbon nanomembranes (CNMs), it may occur that polymers can be irreversibly adsorbed. To address this question, PMMA was spin-coated on top of CNMs, annealed for a specific time at different temperatures, and then tried to be removed by a acetone treatment in a leaching approach. The samples were investigated in detail by atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and broadband dielectric spectroscopy, where the latter method has been applied to CNMs for the first time. Unambiguously, it was shown that PMMA can be adsorbed on the surface of CNMs after annealing the sample above the glasstransition temperature of PMMA. The general occurrence of polar defects on the surface of CNMs and the adsorption of polymers open opportunities for advanced innovative hybrid materials combining the properties of the CNM with those of the polymer. KW - Carbon Nanomembranes KW - Irreversible adsorption KW - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy KW - XPS spctroscopy KW - Atomic force microscopy PY - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.2c01320 SN - 2637-6105 VL - 4 IS - 11 SP - 8377 EP - 8385 PB - ACS AN - OPUS4-56067 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yildirim, Arda A1 - Krause, Christina A1 - Huber, P. A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Multiple glassy dynamics of a homologous series of triphenylene-based columnar liquid crystals – A study by broadband dielectric spectroscopy and advanced calorimetry N2 - Hexakis(n-alkyloxy)triphenylene) (HATn) consisting of an aromatic triphenylene core and alkyl side chains are model discotic liquid crystal (DLC) systems forming a columnar mesophase. In the mesophase, the molecules of HATn self-assemble in columns, which has one-dimensional high charge carrier mobility along the columns. Here, a homologous series of HATn with different length of the alkyl chain (n = 5,6,8,10,12) is investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS) and advanced calorimetric techniques including fast scanning calorimetry (FSC) and specific heat spectroscopy (SHS). The investigation of the phase behavior was done utilizing DSC experiments and the influence of the alkyl chain length on the phase behavior was revealed. By the dielectric investigations probing the molecular mobility, a c-relaxation due to localized fluctuations as well as two glassy dynamics, the acore- and aalkyl-relaxation, were observed in the temperature range of the plastic crystalline phase. Moreover, the observed glassy dynamics were further studied employing advanced calorimetry. All observed relaxation processes are attributed to the possible specific molecular fluctuations and discussed in detail. From the results a transition at around n = 8 from a rigid constrained (n = 5,6) to a softer system (n = 10,12) was revealed with increasing alkyl chain length. A counterbalance of two competing effects of a polyethylene-like behavior of the alkyl chains in the intercolumnar domains and self-organized confinement is discussed in the context of a hindered glass transition. KW - Discotic liquid crystals KW - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy KW - Advanced calorimetry PY - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2022.119212 VL - 358 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-54721 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Omar, Hassan A1 - Smales, Glen Jacob A1 - Henning, S. A1 - Li, Z. A1 - Wang, D.-Y. A1 - Schönhals, Andreas A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina T1 - Calorimetric and Dielectric Investigations of Epoxy-Based Nanocomposites with Halloysite Nanotubes as Nanofillers N2 - Epoxy nanocomposites are promising materials for industrial applications (i.e., aerospace, marine and automotive industry) due to their extraordinary mechanical and thermal properties. Here, the effect of hollow halloysite nanotubes (HNT) on an epoxy matrix (Ep) was the focus of the study. The structure and molecular mobility of the nanocomposites were investigated using a combination of X-ray scattering, calorimetry (differential (DSC) and fast scanning calorimetry (FSC)) and dielectric spectroscopy. Additionally, the effect of surface modification of HNT (polydopamine (PDA) and Fe(OH)3 nanodots) was considered. For Ep/HNT, the glass transition temperature (Tg) is was de-creased due to a nanoparticle-related decrease of the crosslinking density. For the modified system, Ep/m-HNT, the surface modification resulted in enhanced filler–matrix interactions leading to higher Tg values than the pure epoxy in some cases. For Ep/m-HNT, the amount of interface formed between the nanoparticles and the matrix ranged from 5% to 15%. Through BDS measurements, localized fluctuations were detected as a β- and γ-relaxation, related to rotational fluctuations of phenyl rings and local reorientations of unreacted components. A combination of calorimetry and BDS dielectric spectroscopy revealed a dynamic and structural heterogeneity of the matrix, as confirmed by two glassy dynamics in both systems, related to regions with different crosslinking densities. KW - Rigid amorphous fraction KW - Epoxy nanocomposites KW - Halloysite nanotubes KW - X-ray scattering KW - Differential scanning calorimetry KW - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy KW - Flash DSC PY - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-526668 VL - 13 IS - 10 SP - 1634 PB - MDPI AN - OPUS4-52666 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina A1 - Omar, Hassan A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Spatial Inhomogeneity, Interfaces and Complex Vitrification Behavior of Epoxy-based Materials N2 - This work deals with an in-depth comparative investigation of the structure, molecular mobility and vitrification kinetics of three bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (DGEBA)-based materials with different nanofillers: taurine-modified layered double hydroxide (T-LDH) and halloysite nanotubes (HNTs). The chosen methodology comprises I) small – and wide – angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) II) calorimetry in the forms of a) conventional DSC and b) static fast scanning calorimetry (FSC), III) broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS), as well as IV) specific heat spectroscopy in the forms of a) temperature modulated DSC, and b) temperature modulated FSC. T2 - Abteilungsseminar 6. - FB 6.6 CY - Online meeting DA - 06.05.2021 KW - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy KW - Epoxy nanocomposites KW - Halloysite nanotubes KW - X-ray scattering KW - Differential scanning calorimetry KW - Rigid amorphous fraction KW - Flash DSC PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-52697 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina A1 - Qu, Xintong A1 - Schönhals, Andreas A1 - Sturm, Heinz ED - Sinapius, M. ED - Ziegmann, G. T1 - Characterization of Polymer Nanocomposites N2 - The complex effect of nanoparticles on an epoxy-based and anhydride cured DGEBA/Boehmite nanocomposite with different particle concentrations is considered in this chapter. A combination of X-ray scattering, calorimetry (fast scanning and temperature modulated calorimetry) and dielectric spectroscopy was employed to characterize the structure, vitrification kinetics and the molecular dynamics of the nanocomposites. Firstly, the unfilled polymer was found to be intrinsically heterogeneous, showing regions with different crosslinking density, indicated by two separate dynamic glass transitions. Moreover, the glass transition temperature decreases with increasing nanoparticle concentration, as a result of changes in the crosslinking density. In addition, it was shown that the incorporation of nanoparticles can result in simultaneous increase in the number of mobile segments for low nanoparticle concentrations and on the other hand, for higher loading degrees the number of mobile segments decreases, due to the formation of an immobilized interphase. KW - Rigid amorphous fraction KW - Epoxy nanocomposites KW - X-ray scattering KW - Differential scanning calorimetry KW - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy KW - Flash DSC PY - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68523-2_4 SP - 55 EP - 77 PB - Springer Nature AN - OPUS4-52698 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Madkour, Sherif A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Dielectric and thermal relaxation behavior of ultra-thin films of poly(vinyl methyl ether) – evidence of an adsorbed layer N2 - Despite the many controversial discussions about the nanometric confinement effect on the properties of ultra-thin films, much remain not understood and/or experimentally unproven. Here, a combination of Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy (BDS) and Specific Heat Spectroscopy (SHS) employing AC nanochip calorimetry were utilized to investigate the glassy dynamics of ultra-thin films of a low MW Poly (vinyl methyl ether) (PVME) (thicknesses: 7 nm – 160 nm). For BDS measurements, a recently developed nano-structured electrode sample arrangement is employed; where ultra-thin films are spin-coated on an ultra-flat highly conductive silicon wafer, sandwiched between a wafer with nanostructured SiO2 nano-spacers with heights between 35 nm and 70 nm. For films with thicknesses up to 50 nm, BDS measurements showed two relaxation processes, which can be analyzed for these film thicknesses in details. The process located at higher frequencies coincidence in both, its position and temperature dependence, with the -relaxation of bulk PVME and is therefore assigned to the -relaxation of a bulk-like layer. The temperature dependence of the relaxation rate of this process in independent of film thickness. This is further confirmed by the SHS investigations, which superimpose in its temperature dependence with the BDS results; independent of film thickness. The second process is located at lower frequencies, where it shows a different temperature dependence and ascribed to the relaxation of polymer segments adsorbed at the substrate. The interaction of PVME with SiO2 was further confirmed by contact angle investigations. This adsorbed layer further undergoes a confinement effect that results in a lower Vogel temperature than that of the bulk-like layer. A detailed analysis of the dielectric strengths of both processes reveals that the thickness of the adsorbed layer decreases with increasing temperature, while that of the bulk-like layer increases. As a main conclusion, BDS showed that the glassy dynamics of the bulk-like and the adsorbed layer are thickness independent, which is in agreement with the SHS results. To our knowledge, this is the first probing of the segmental dynamics of an adsorbed layer in ultrathin films. T2 - 9th International Conference on Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy and its Applications CY - Pisa, Italy DA - 11.09.2016 KW - Ultra-thin films KW - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy KW - Specific heat spectroscopy PY - 2016 AN - OPUS4-37528 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schönhals, Andreas A1 - Lohstroh, Wibke A1 - Zamponi, Michaela A1 - Zorn, R. A1 - Frick, Bernhard T1 - Neutron and dielectric spectroscopy - taking advantage of the strengths of each technique in confinement studies: Vibrational and molecular dynamics of nanoconfined liquid crystals N2 - The effect of a nanometre confinement on the molecular dynamics of liquid crystals was studied by broadband dielectric and neutron spectroscopy. As confining host the molecular sieve Al-MCM-41 (Si/Al=60) with a mean pore diameter of 3 nm was selected. As guest the liquid crystals 8CB and E7 were chosen where the latter does not crystallize but undergoes a glass transition forming a nematic glass. Dielectric spectroscopy shows that for the confined systems one relaxation process is observed. Ist characteristic relaxation time is much lower compared to that of the bulk. No signature of the Phase transition characteristics of the bulk liquid crystal is detected. The temperature dependence of the relaxation time of this relaxation process has to be described by the Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann equation and thus shows similarities to glassy dynamics. The vibrational density of states measured by neutron spectroscopy (IN6, ILL; TOFTOF, MLZ) Shows excess contributions with respect to the Debye density of states (boson peak). For the confined systems the low frequency contributions of the boson peak are suppressed, an effect which is also found for conventional glass forming systems. In addition elastic scans were carried out at the backscattering spectrometer (BS) IN10 at ILL. Such measurements provide an overview about the temperature dependence of the microscopic dynamics. Assuming a Gaussian form for the elastically scattered intensities the effective mean square displacement was calculated. For the nanoconfined samples the mean square displacement is strongly reduced in comparison to the bulk. Also these measurements show the signature of a glass Transition indicated by a change in the temperature dependence of the mean square displacement. For confined E7 the extracted glass transition temperature is shifted by more than 20 K to higher temperatures. Broadband inelastic neutron scattering was carried out by combining time-of-flight (IN6, ILL; TOFTOF, MLZ) and backscattering (IN10, ILL; SPHERES, MLZ) experiments in the time domain. The time dependence of the incoherent intermediate scattering function Sinc(q,t) shows two Relaxation processes which were quantitatively analyzed by fitting the KWW function to the data. The process at shorter times shows a close similarity the methyl group rotation found for polymeric systems. The process at longer times was assigned to glassy dynamics. The obtained data are compared in detail in their temperature dependence to the dielectric results. T2 - Deutsche Neutronenstreutagung 2016 CY - Kiel, Germany DA - 20.09.2016 KW - Neutron scattering KW - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy PY - 2016 AN - OPUS4-37516 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Konnertz, Nora A1 - Ding, Y. A1 - Schönhals, Andreas A1 - Böhning, Martin T1 - Enhanced gas separation performance of nanocomposites based on a polymer with intrinsic microporosity PIM-1 and phenethyl-POSS N2 - In times of the energy revolution, the need for energy efficient separation processes promotes the advancement of new high performance materials for use as highly selective separation membranes. Most promising materials in this field, especially for gas separation, are polymers with intrinsic microporosity (PIMs) which were firstly introduced by Budd and McKeown. In this study the permeability of PIM-1 was increased by 439 % by formation of nanocomposites with only 1 wt% of polyhedral oligomeric phenethyl-silsesquioxane (PhE-POSS) within the polymer matrix. As the CO2/CH4 selectivity is fully retained, this leads to a shift in the Robeson plot towards the upper bound. The Robeson plot describes the current state of the art trade-off relation between selectivity and permeability of all known membrane polymers. As molecular mobility is a key factor for gas transport as well as the often observed physical aging of such polymers, our study also includes for the first time, molecular dynamics and conductivity of pure PIM-1 and PIM-1 nanocomposites as investigated by broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS). T2 - Polydays 2016 CY - Potsdam, Germany DA - 28.09.2016 KW - PIM-1 KW - POSS KW - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy KW - Permeation PY - 2016 AN - OPUS4-37701 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Konnertz, Nora A1 - Böhning, Martin A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Dielectric investigations of the high performance polymer PIM-1 and nanocomposites containing phenethylPOSS N2 - Especially now, in times of the energy revolution, the need for energy efficient separation processes promote the advancement of new high performance materials for use as highly selective separation membranes. Most promising materials in this field, especially for gas separation, are polymers with intrinsic microporosity (PIMs) which were firstly introduced by Budd and McKeown. Currently widespread application of PIMs for membrane technology is still restrained by their strong tendency to physical aging involving a significant loss of their good gas separation properties. This phenomenom is directly related to the molecular mobility. Here for the first time, molecular dynamics and conductivity in PIM-1, the first synthesized PIM, were investigated by broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS). Although an α-relaxation was not observed for PIM-1, as a thermal glass transition temperature has not yet previously been reported below its decomposition temperature at 370°C, surprisingly a conductivity contribution was found which is attributed to intermolecular agglomerates formed by π−π-stacking. Besides the studies on pure PIM-1 a polyhedral oligomeric phenethyl-silsesquioxanes (PhenethylPOSS) was used as nanofiller (0 – 40 wt%) in order to evaluate its ability to improve gas transport properties and probably control physical aging. The molecular mobility of all materials was analyzed by BDS of solution-cast films. T2 - 9th International Conference on Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy and its Applications CY - Pisa, Italy DA - 11.09.2016 KW - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy KW - PIM-1 KW - POSS PY - 2016 AN - OPUS4-37705 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy as an orthogonal tool to mechanical analysis – From theory to applications N2 - The basics of broadband dielectric spectroscopy were introduced in detail. The analysis of the data was discussed. As application of broadband dielectric spectroscopy the alpha-relaxation (dynamic glass transition), the chain dynamics of polymers, and the behavior of a high performance polymer were illustrated. T2 - Geesthachter Polymertage CY - Geesthcht, Germany DA - 08.11.2016 KW - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy PY - 2016 AN - OPUS4-38185 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Schönhals, Andreas A1 - Frick, B. A1 - Zorn, R. ED - Kremer, Friedrich ED - Loidl, Alois T1 - The scaling of the molecular dynamics of liquid crystals as revealed by broadband dielectric, specific heat, and neutron spectroscopy N2 - A combination of different complementary methods is employed to investigate scaling of the molecular dynamics of two different liquid crystals. Each method is sensitive to different kind of fluctuations and provides therefore a different window to look at the molecular dynamics. In detail, broadband dielectric spectroscopy is combined with specific heat spectroscopy and neutron scattering. As systems the nematic liquid crystal E7 and a discotic liquid crystalline pyrene are considered. First of all it was proven that both systems show all peculiarities which are characteristic for glassy dynamics and the glassy state. Especially for the nematic liquid crystal E7 it could be unambiguously shown by a combination of dielectric and specific heat spectroscopy that the tumbling mode is the underlying motional process responsible for glassy dynamics. Dielectric investigations on the discotic liquid crystalline pyrene reveal that at the phase transition from the plastic crystalline to the hexagonal columnar liquid crystalline phase the molecular dynamics changes from a more strong to fragile temperature dependence of the relaxation rates. Moreover a combination of results obtained by specific heat spectroscopy with structural methods allows an estimation of the length scale relevant for the glass transition. KW - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy KW - Specific heat spectroscopy KW - Rod-like liquid crystals KW - Discotic liquid crystals PY - 2018 UR - https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2F978-3-319-72706-6.pdf SN - 978-3-319-72705-9 SN - 978-3-319-72706-6 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72706-6_9 SN - 2190-930X SN - 2190-9318 SP - 279 EP - 306 PB - Springer International publishing AG CY - Cham, Switzerland ET - 1. AN - OPUS4-45624 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina A1 - Li, Z. A1 - Wang, D.-Y. A1 - Schoenhals, Andreas T1 - Dielectric and flash DSC investigations on an epoxy based nanocomposite system with MgAl layered double hydroxide as nanofiller N2 - Nanocomposites based on MgAL layered double hydroxides (LDH) and an epoxy resin were prepared and investigated by a combination of complementary methods. As epoxy resin Bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (DGEBA) was used with Diethylenetriamine as curing agent. The LDH was modified with taurine, which acts as an additional crosslinking agent due to its amine groups. The epoxy resin was cured in a presence of the nanofiller, which was added to the system in various concentrations. X-ray scattering, by combination of SAXS and WAXS was used to characterize the morphology of the obtained nanocomposites. These investigations show that the filler is distributed in the matrix as small stacks of ca. 10 layers. The molecular dynamics of the system, as probe for structure, was investigated by broadband dielectric spectroscopy. In addition to the - and -relaxation (dynamic glass transition), characteristic for the unfilled materials, a further process was found which was assigned to localized fluctuations of segments physically adsorbed or chemically bonded to the nanoparticles. The dielectric -relaxation is shifted to higher temperatures for the nanocomposites in comparison to the pure material but depends weakly on the content of nanoparticles. Further, for the first time Flash DSC was employed to a thermosetting system to investigate the glass transition behavior of the nanocomposites. The heating rates were converted in to relaxation rates. For low concentrations of the nanofiller the thermal data overlap more or less with that of the pure epoxy. For higher concentrations the thermal data are shifted significantly to higher temperatures. This is discussed in terms the cooperativity approach to the glass transition. KW - Nanocomposites KW - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy KW - Flash DSC PY - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tca.2019.01.010 SN - 0040-6031 VL - 677 SP - 151 EP - 161 PB - Elsevier AN - OPUS4-48218 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yildirim, Arda A1 - Bühlmeyer, A. A1 - Hayash, S A1 - Haenle, J. C. A1 - Sentker, K. A1 - Krause, Christina A1 - Huber, Patrick A1 - Laschat, Sabine A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Multiple glassy dynamics in dipole functionalized triphenylene-based discotic liquid crystals revealed by broadband dielectric spectroscopy and advanced calorimetry – assessment of the molecular origin N2 - A selected series of dipole functionalized triphenylene-based discotic liquid crystals (DLCs) was synthesized and investigated in a systematic way to reveal the phase behavior and molecular dynamics. The later point is of particular importance to understand the charge transport in such systems which is the key property for their applications such as organic field-effect transistors, solar cells or as nanowires in molecular electronics, and also to tune the properties of DLCs. The mesomorphic properties were studied by polarizing optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and differential scanning calorimetry, which were compared to the corresponding unfunctionalized DLC. The molecular dynamics were investigated by a combination of state-of-the-art broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS) and advanced calorimetry such as fast scanning calorimetry (FSC) and specific heat spectroscopy (SHS). Besides localized fluctuations, surprisingly multiple glassy dynamics were detected for all materials for the first time. Glassy dynamics were proven for both processes unambiguously due to the extraordinary broad frequency range covered. The a1-process is attributed to fluctuations of the alky chains in the intercolumnar space because a polyethylene-like glassy dynamics is observed. This corresponds to a glass transition in a confined three-dimensional space. The a2-process found at temperatures lower than a1-process, is assigned to small scale rotational and/or translational in plane fluctuations of the triphenylene core inside distorted columns. This can be considered as a glass transition in a one-dimensional fluid. Therefore, obtained results are of general importance to understand the glass transition, which is an unsolved problem of condensed matter science. KW - Discotic Liquid Crystals KW - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy KW - Flash DSC KW - Specific heat spectroscopy PY - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1039/c9cp03499d SN - 1463-9076 VL - 21 IS - 33 SP - 18265 EP - 18277 PB - RSC AN - OPUS4-48739 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina A1 - Gawek, Marcel A1 - Madkour, S. A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Confinement and localization effects revealed for thin films of the miscible blend Poly(vinyl methyl ether) / Polystyrene with a composition of 25/75 wt% N2 - Thin films (200-7nm) of the asymmetric polymer blend poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME)/polystyrene (PS) (25/75wt%) were investigated by broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS). Thicker samples ([Formula: see text]37 nm) were measured by crossed electrode capacitors (CEC), where the film is capped between Al-electrodes. For thinner films ([Formula: see text]37 nm) nanostructured capacitors (NSC) were employed, allowing one free surface in the film. The dielectric spectra of the thick films showed three relaxation processes ( [Formula: see text] -, [Formula: see text] - and [Formula: see text] -relaxation), like the bulk, related to PVME fluctuations in local spatial regions with different PS concentrations. The thickness dependence of the [Formula: see text] -process for films measured by CECs proved a spatially heterogeneous structure across the film with a PS-adsorption at the Al-electrodes. On the contrary, for the films measured by NSCs a PVME segregation at the free surface was found, resulting in faster dynamics, compared to the CECs. Moreover, for the thinnest films ([Formula: see text]26 nm) an additional relaxation process was detected. It was assigned to restricted fluctuations of PVME segments within the loosely bounded part of the adsorbed layer, proving that for NSCs a PVME enrichment takes place also at the polymer/substrate interface. KW - Thin polymer films KW - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy PY - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2019-11870-3 SN - 1292-895X VL - 42 IS - 8 SP - 101, 1 EP - 11 PB - Springer AN - OPUS4-48651 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Madkour, Sherif A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina A1 - Heídari, M. A1 - von Klitzing, R. A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Unveiling the dynamics of self-assembled layers of thin films of poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME) by nanosized relaxation spectroscopy N2 - A combination of nanosized dielectric relaxation (BDS) and thermal spectroscopy (SHS) was utilized to characterize the dynamics of thin films of Poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME) (thicknesses: 7 nm – 160 nm). For the BDS measurements, a recently designed nano-structured electrode system is employed. A thin film is spin-coated on an ultra-flat highly conductive silicon wafer serving as the bottom electrode. As top electrode, a highly conductive wafer with non-conducting nanostructured SiO2 nano-spacers with heights of 35 nm or 70 nm is assembled on the bottom electrode. This procedure results in thin supported films with a free polymer/air interface. The BDS measurements show two relaxation processes, which are analyzed unambiguously for thicknesses smaller than 50 nm. The relaxation rates of both processes have different temperature dependencies. One process coincidences in its position and temperature dependence with the glassy dynamics of bulk PVME and is ascribed to the dynamic glass transition of a bulk-like layer in the middle of the film. The relaxation rates were found to be thickness independent as confirmed by SHS. Unexpectedly, the relaxation rates of the second process obey an Arrhenius-like temperature dependence. This process was not observed by SHS and was related to the constrained fluctuations in a layer, which is irreversibly adsorbed at the substrate with a heterogeneous structure. Its molecular fluctuations undergo a confinement effect resulting in the localization of the segmental dynamics. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the molecular dynamics of an adsorbed layer in thin films. KW - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy KW - AC-nanochip calorimetry KW - Nanostructured capacitors KW - Thin films PY - 2017 UR - http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acsami.6b14404 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6b14404 SN - 1944-8244 VL - 9 IS - 8 SP - 7535 EP - 7546 PB - ACS Publications CY - Washington DC AN - OPUS4-39291 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy as a complementary tool to characterize polymer systems N2 - The basics of broadband dielectric spectroscopy were introduced in detail. The analysis of the data was discussed. As application of broadband dielectric spectroscopy the alpha-relaxation (dynamic glass transition) and the chain dynamics of polymers were ilustrated. Further the application of dielectric spectroscopy to polymerbased nanocomposites and high preformance polymers was discussed in Detail. T2 - International Symposium on Polymer Analyisis and Characterization CY - Linz, Austria DA - 11.06.2017 KW - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy PY - 2017 AN - OPUS4-40602 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Polymer-based nanocomposites – Interplay between interfacial and bulk properties N2 - Different types of polymerbased nanocomposites (matrix materials: polyethylene, polypropylene, polylactide, polycarbonate, polystyrene) with a broad variety of nanofillers (fillers: layered silica, layered doubled hydroxides, POSS) are prepared where the concentration of the particles is varied. For layered fillers TEM images show both an intercalated and exfoliated morphology in dependence on the nanofiller and the matrix. All systems are studied in detail by dielectric spectroscopy (BDS) but also complementary methods like WAXS, SAXS, gas transport measurements, calorimetry, and FTIR spectroscopy are employed. Besides the dispersion, the interfacial region between the nanoparticles and the polymer matrix is crucial for the properties of the nanocomposites. Therefore, attention is paid to investigate this interfacial area by BDS because the polar groups of both the surfactant and compatibilizer are located close to the layers. For some systems it is found that the molecular mobility in the interfacial area is essentially higher than in the matrix. In addition a Maxwell/Wagner/Sillars polarization is found due to the blocking of charges at the layers. The time constant of this MWS-process can be correlated with characteristic length scales in the nanocomposites and provides information about the dispersion of the nanofiller. T2 - International Symaposium on Polymer Ananlysis and Characterization CY - Linz, Austria DA - 11.06.2016 KW - Polymer based nanocomposites KW - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy PY - 2017 AN - OPUS4-40604 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Yin, Huajie A1 - Konnertz, N. A1 - Böhning, Martin A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Molecular Mobility and Physical aging of SuperGlassy Polymers for Gas Separation Membranes as revealed by Dielectric Spectroscopy N2 - Polymeric membranes represent a cost- and energy efficient solution for gas separation. Recently superglassy polymers with high free volume outperform many conventional dense polymers in terms of gas permeability and selectivity. However, such materials with a high fractional free volume (FFV) are prone to pronounced physical aging. The initial microporous structures approach a denser state via local chain rearrangements which results in a dramatic reduction in the gas permeability. For the first time, dielectric spectroscopy with state-of-the-art high-resolution analyzers was employed to investigate the molecular mobility and physical aging of two representative groups of superglassy polymers: PIMs (PIM-1 & PIM-EA-TB) and Si-containing polynobornenes (PTCNSi1 & PTCNSi2). The dielectric behavior of the solution-cast polymeric films was measured by isothermal frequency scans during the different heating cycles in a broad temperature range. Structural relaxation of the films was observed during the measurements. Multiple dielectric processes following Arrhenius behavior were observed for all the investigated polymers. Moreover, they all showed conductivity in the glassy state. The significant increase in the conductivity with increasing temperature especially for PIMs is explained in terms of the formation of local intermolecular agglomerated structures due to interaction of π-electrons in aromatic moieties of the polymer backbone. T2 - 8th International Conference on Advanced Fibers and Polymer Materials CY - Shanghai, China DA - 08.10.2017 KW - Physical aging KW - Membranes KW - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy KW - Gas separation KW - Molecular mobility PY - 2017 AN - OPUS4-42877 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy to study soft matter systems N2 - The basics of broadband dielectric spectroscopy were introduced in detail. The analysis of the data was discussed. As application of broadband dielectric spectroscopy the alpha-relaxation (dynamic glass transition) and the chain dynamics of polymers were ilustrated. Further the application of dielectric spectroscopy to polymerbased nanocomposites and high preformance polymers was discussed in detail. T2 - Kolloquiumsvotrag am Karlsruher Instiut of Technology CY - Karlsruhe, Germany DA - 05.12.2018 KW - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy PY - 2018 AN - OPUS4-46910 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yin, Huajie A1 - Chapala, P. A1 - Bermeshev, M. A1 - Schönhals, Andreas A1 - Böhning, Martin T1 - Molecular Mobility and Physical Aging of a Highly Permeable Glassy Polynorbornene as Revealed by Dielectric Spectroscopy N2 - Polymeric membranes represent a cost- and energy efficient solution for gas separation. Recently superglassy polymers with high free volume outperform many conventional dense polymers in terms of gas permeability and selectivity. However, such polymers are prone to pronounced physical aging, resulting in a dramatic reduction in the gas permeability. Molecular mobility of polymer segments plays an important role in the physical aging and the gas transport performance of polymeric membranes. Molecular mobility and physical aging of a representative superglassy polynorbornene with very high gas permeability, PTCNSi2g, was monitored by using dielectric spectroscopy with state-of-the-art high-resolution analyzers. This work helps to shed some light on the structure−property relationship of superglassy polymers on a molecular level and to provide practical “design rules” for the development of high performance polymers for gas separation. KW - Molecular mobility KW - Gas separation membrane KW - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy KW - Polymer KW - Physical ageing PY - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.7b00456 SN - 2161-1653 VL - 6 IS - 8 SP - 813 EP - 818 PB - ACS CY - Washington DC, USA AN - OPUS4-41354 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy in comparison to other spectroscopic methods applied to functional materials N2 - The basics of broadband dielectric spectroscopy were introduced in detail. The analysis of the data was discussed. As application of broadband dielectric spectroscopy the alpha-relaxation (dynamic glass transition) and the chain dynamics of polymers were illustrated. Further the application of dielectric spectroscopy to advanced functional materials. T2 - International Summer School on Crystal Growth and Advanced Materials for Energy Conversation CY - Bucharest, Romania DA - 10.07.2017 KW - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy PY - 2017 AN - OPUS4-41024 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Yin, Huajie A1 - Konnertz, N. A1 - Böhning, Martin A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Molecular mobility of super glassy polymers for gas separation membranes investigated by dielectric spectroscopy N2 - Super glassy polymers such as poly(trimethylsilylpropyne) (PTMSP) or polymers with intrinsic microporosity (PIMs) play an important role in the current development of membrane materials for gas separation because of their high permeability and selectivity. Unfortunately, such materials which have a high fractional free volume (FFV) are prone to pronounced physical aging. The initial microporous structures approach a more dense state via local chain rearrangements which results in a dramatic reduction in the gas permeability. For the first time, broadband dielectric spectroscopy was employed to investigate the molecular dynamics of two representative groups of super glassy polymers: PIMs (PIM-1 & PIM-EA-TB) and Si-containing polynobornenes (PTCNSi1 & PTCNSi2). The dielectric behavior of the solution-cast polymeric films was measured by isothermal frequency scans during the different heating cycles in a broad temperature range. Structural relaxation of the films was observed during the measurements. Molecular relaxation processes following Arrhenius behavior with unusually high activation energies were observed for all the investigated polymers. The PIMs showed furthermore a significant conductivity in the glassy state which is explained with the formation of local intermolecular agglomerated structures due to interaction of π-electrons in aromatic moieties of the polymer backbone. T2 - 8th International Discussion Meeting on Relaxations in Complex Systems CY - Wisla, Poland DA - 23.07.2017 KW - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy KW - Molecular mobility KW - Physical aging KW - Membranes KW - Gas separation PY - 2017 AN - OPUS4-41162 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina A1 - Madkour, Sherif A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Molecular dynamics of the asymmetric blend PVME/PS revisited by broadband dielectric and specific heat spectroscopy: Evidence of multiple glassy dynamics N2 - The molecular mobility of the highly asymmetric miscible blend poly(vinyl methyl ether)/polystyrene was investigated by broadband dielectric (frequency range 10^-1 Hz – 10^9 Hz) and specific heat spectroscopy (frequency range 10^1 Hz – 10^4 Hz). The dielectric spectra revealed a complex molecular dynamic behavior, where three different relaxation processes were observed. At temperatures below the glass transition temperature an α´-relaxation was found, with an Arrhenius-like temperature dependence of its relaxation rates. It is assigned to localized fluctuations of the confined PVME segments within a frozen glassy matrix dominated by PS. Above the thermal glass transition temperature two processes with a VFT behavior of their relaxation rates were detected called α1- and α2-relaxation, both originating from PVME dipoles fluctuating in PS-rich environments, however with diverse PS concentrations. The relevant length scales for the processes are assumed to be different, corresponding to the Kuhn segment length for the former relaxation and to the CRR for the latter one. The observed multiple glassy dynamics result from spatial local compositional heterogeneities on a microscopic level. Additionally, SHS investigations were performed for the first time for this system, proving an existence of a fourth relaxation process (α3-relaxation) due to the cooperative fluctuations of both PS and PVME segments. The separation between the thermal α3- and dielectric α2-relaxation increases dramatically with increasing polystyrene concentration, proving that the thermal response is dominated by PS. KW - Polymer blends KW - Dynamic heterogeneity KW - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy KW - Specific heat spectroscopy PY - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.8b02697 SN - 0024-9297 VL - 52 IS - 4 SP - 1620 EP - 1631 PB - ACS Publications AN - OPUS4-47516 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Omar, Hassan A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina A1 - Hertwig, Andreas A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Growth Kinetics and Molecular Mobility of the adsorbed Layer of Poly(bisphenol-A Carbonate) (PBAC), Polysulfone (PSU), and Poly (2-Vinyl Pyridine) (P2VP) N2 - Interactions between a polymer and a substrate interface play a vital role in understanding the improvement in thin film material properties as well as serving as a model for nanocomposites. For any non-repulsive polymer-substrate interactions, polymer segments form an irreversibly adsorbed layer and show a slowdown in the glassy dynamics and thus an increase in the thermal glass transition temperature compared to the bulk-like values. The growth kinetics of the adsorbed layer obey a two-step mechanism: formation of immobilized layer with flat segmental conformations and a loosely bound layer with stretched chains pinned to the surface. Here the adsorbed layer was studied for: poly (bisphenol-A carbonate) (PBAC) and polysulfone (PSU), two bulky polymers containing a functional group (phenyl ring) in the backbone and compared to poly (2-vinyl pyridine) (P2VP), where the backbone is a vinyl-derivative and the functional group (pyridine) is in the side chain. The growth kinetics for PBAC and PSU were found to deviate from the well-known mechanism, observed for polymers such as P2VP. Atomic force microscopy and ellipsometry were used for this investigation and was additionally supported by broadband dielectric spectroscopy. T2 - Deutschen Physikalische Gesellschaft (DPG) Tagung CY - Dresden, Germany DA - 26.03.2023 KW - Thin films KW - Adsorbed Layer KW - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy KW - Atomic force microscopy KW - Growth Kinetics PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-57282 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Omar, Hassan A1 - Szymoniak, Paulina A1 - Hertwig, Andreas A1 - Schönhals, Andreas T1 - Probing Nanoscale Relaxation Behavior in Thin Polymer Films N2 - The investigations into the complicated effects of film thickness on bulk properties of thin polymer films has yielded conflicting results. The reduction in molecular mobility, and with it an increase in the glass transition temperature, for thin films of poly (bisphenol A carbonate) (PBAC) was assigned to the formation of an adsorbed layer. The adsorbed layer was obtained by washing away the loosely bounded chains using a good solvent. Next, using atomic force microscopy (AFM), the thickness of each sample was measured after annealing for various times at three different annealing temperatures. The growth of this adsorbed layer was shown to deviate from the previously reported 2-step mechanism seen for other polymers. For PBAC, after very long annealing times at high temperatures the thin films were dewetted, where segments of the adsorbed layer were removed from the substrate. T2 - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Poster CY - Online meeting DA - 28.02.2023 KW - Thin films KW - Adsorbed Layer KW - Broadband dielectric spectroscopy KW - Atomic force microscopy KW - Growth Kinetics PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-57196 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -