The effect of a nanometer confinement on the molecular dynamics of poly(methyl phenyl siloxane) (PMPS) was studied by dielectric spectroscopy (DS), temperature modulated DSC (TMDSC) and neutron scattering (NS). Nanoporous glasses with pore sizes of 2.520 nm have been used. DS and TMDSC experiments show that for PMPS in 7.5 nm pores the molecular dynamics is faster than in the bulk which originates from an inherent length scale of the underlying molecular motions. For high temperatures the temperature dependence of the relaxation rates for confined PMPS crosses that of the bulk state. Besides finite states effects also the thermodynamic state of nano-confined PMPS is different from that of the bulk. At a pore size of 5 nm the temperature dependence of the relaxation times changes from a Vogel/Fulcher/Tammann like to an Arrhenius behavior where the activation energy depends on pore size. This is in agreement with the results obtained by NS. The increment of the specific heat capacity at the glass transition depends strongly on pore size and vanishes at a finite length scale between 3 and 5 nm which can be regarded as minimal length scale for glass transition to appear in PMPS.
Nanocomposites were prepared by solution blending of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane with phenethyl substituents (PhenethylPOSS) into poly(bisphenol A carbonate) (PBAC). The nanocomposites were investigated by dielectric spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and density measurements. PhenethylPOSS shows one relaxation process, the α-relaxation, confirmed by DSC investigations. PBAC shows a β-relaxation at lower and an α-relaxation at higher temperatures. With increasing PhenethylPOSS content the α-relaxation of the composites shifts to lower temperatures. Thus, incorporation of PhenethylPOSS leads to a plasticization of PBAC due to a decrease of the packing density which is rationalized by density measurements. For higher concentrations of PhenethylPOSS (>10 wt %) the α-relaxation of the polycarbonate matrix splits into two peaks. Moreover, close to the α-relaxation of PhenethylPOSS a third process is observed. These results indicate a phase separation into a PBAC matrix with a few percents of molecularly solved POSS and POSS-rich domains. These POSS-rich domains are surrounded by an interfacial layer of PBAC having a higher concentration of POSS than the matrix. A phase diagram is deduced providing a miscibility criterion. For the phase separated nanocomposites an interfacial polarization phenomena is observed. Using a simplified model the time constant of this process is correlated with the size of the PhenethylPOSS-rich domains and theire increasing size with the increase of the concentration of POSS.