Specific heat spectroscopy was used to study the dynamic glass transition of ultrathin poly(2-vinyl pyridine) films (thicknesses: 405–10 nm). The amplitude and the phase angle of the differential voltage were obtained as a measure of the complex heat capacity. In a traditional data analysis, the dynamic glass transition temperature Tg is estimated from the phase angle. These data showed no thickness dependency on Tg down to 22 nm (error of the measurement of ±3 K). A derivative-based method was established, evidencing a decrease in Tg with decreasing thickness up to 7 K, which can be explained by a surface layer. For ultrathin films, data showed broadening at the lower temperature side of the spectra, supporting the existence of a surface layer. Finally, temperature dependence of the heat capacity in the glassy and liquid states changes with film thickness, which can be considered as a confinement effect.
Combined FTIR and dielectric investigation of poly(vinyl acetate) adsorbed on silica particles
(2013)
Samples with different amounts of poly(vinyl acetate) adsorbed on silica particles were prepared in order to study their interfacial interactions and dynamics. The interface of adsorbed polymers to a substrate plays an important role in many applications such as polymer nanocomposites, thin films, and coatings. Characterization of such interfaces is thus of high importance since they were found to differ from bulk properties. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) is applied to analyze the amounts of polymer adsorbed on silica particles. Broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS) is employed in a broad frequency (10–1–106 Hz) and temperature range (178–423 K) in order to probe the polymer/silica interface. Two relaxation processes can be identified for the composites: one corresponding to the bulklike polymer and a second one related to polymer chains close to the silica surface. For the latter the dynamic glass transition is shifted to higher temperature due to reduced mobility. This effect is investigated in dependence on the polymer content. Further investigations are done to obtain information about bound and free carbonyl fractions of poly(vinyl acetate) using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) measurements.
The molecular dynamics of linear poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM) in aqueous media at temperatures below and above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) are investigated using broadband dielectric relaxation spectroscopy in a frequency range from 10–1 to 1011 Hz. Below the LCST, two relaxation processes are observed in the megahertz and gigahertz region assigned to the reorientation of dipoles of the solvated polymer segments (p-process) and water molecules (w-process), respectively. Both relaxation processes are analyzed using the Havriliak–Negami (HN) function, taking special attention to the w-process. Above the LCST, the dielectric spectra of the pNIPAM solutions resemble that of pure water, showing only the high frequency relaxation process of the water molecules with a more or less Debye-type behavior. The non-Debye behavior of the w-process below the LCST is mainly induced by the interactions between water and pNIPAM chains via hydrogen bonding. The relaxation time and strength of the w-process is studied with dependence on the concentration, temperature, and the polymer chain length (molecular weight). The information obtained is useful for a deeper understanding of the dehydration behavior at the phase transition. The suggestion of dehydration of the pNIPAM chains at the LCST is confirmed by calculating a dehydration number.
Aqueous solutions of linear poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM) with different polymer concentrations are investigated using dielectric spectroscopy in a frequency range of 10-1 Hz to 106 Hz at temperatures from 15 °C to 50 °C. The phase transition of pNIPAM is monitored by both the temperature (T) and the frequency (ƒ) dependence of the conductivity spectra σ*(ƒ, T). First, the T-dependence of the DC conductivity σ'DC is investigated and the phase transition ('coil-to-globule' transition) at the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of pNIPAM is deduced by a change in the T-dependence of σ'DC. The observed hysteresis between heating and cooling runs is discussed in detail in dependence on both the polymer concentration and the rate. Second, for the first time a pronounced ƒ-dependence of the real part of conductivity σ' is observed at temperatures above the LCST whereas at temperatures below the LCST the conductivity spectra are more or less similar to that of water (frequency independent). This ƒ-dependence of σ' is assigned to the formation of a kind of soft particle ('globular structure') at the LCST which is more or less impermeable to water and ions therefore giving rise to Maxwell–Wagner–Sillars (MWS) polarization effects (blocking of charges at the soft particle). The dependence on the concentration is studied in detail.
Temperature sensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM) microgels are prepared and investigated using dielectric spectroscopy in a frequency range from 10-1 Hz to 106 Hz at temperatures from 15 °C to 50 °C. The microgels were synthesized with different crosslinker molar ratios resulting in microgels with structural differences. From the dielectric response of the pNIPAM microgels the swelling/deswelling behaviour is monitored by both the temperature (T) and the frequency (f) dependence of the conductivity spectra σ*(f, T). The volume phase transition (VPT) at the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) is deduced by a change in the T-dependence of the DC conductivity σ'DC. It can be explained by a decrease in the effective charge mobility and a reduction in the effective charge number contributing to σ'DC at T > LCST. Addressing the f-dependence of the real part of the conductivity σ', a pronounced frequency dependence at temperatures above the LCST can be observed whereas at temperatures below the LCST the conductivity spectra resemble that of the pure solvent (water) which is frequency independent. The f-dependence of σ' at T > LCST is assigned to the collapse of the microgel particles. At the interfaces of the collapsed particles charge carriers are blocked and/or entrapped giving rise to MaxwellWagnerSillars (MWS) polarization effects. The dependence of the MWS effect on the crosslinker amount is studied in detail and conclusions concerning the internal structure of the microgels with respect to their crosslinking density are drawn. Moreover the dielectric data are related to dynamic light scattering data. A correlation between the MWS polarization effect and the swelling/deswelling ratio expressed by the hydrodynamic radius Rh at different temperatures is established for the first time.