Thin supported polymer films: Modified mobility at the interfaces
Abstract
Using a nanostructured electrode arrangement that effectively offers two different interfaces to the thin polymer layers under study, Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy (BDS) is employed to characterize interfacial dynamics in thin supported poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) films. By analyzing the dielectric loss peak due to the dynamic glass transition, it is demonstrated that although the mean relaxation times for thin films remain bulk-like, there are indeed layers at the polymer/substrate and polymer/air interfaces that exhibit modified mobility in dependence on both overall film thickness and temperature. Preliminary molecular dynamics simulations corroborate these findings.
E.M. and J.S. are grateful for support from the National Science Foundation, Division of Materials Research, Polymers Program, award DMR-1508394.- Publication:
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APS March Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019APS..MARA55002M