Inelastic neutron scattering study of low energy excitations in polymer thin films

We report inelastic neutron scattering measurements on polystyrene thin films in a glassy state in the meV region. We found in elastic scattering that the mean square displacement decreased with film thickness, and hence the corresponding force constant f increased. In inelastic and quasielastic scattering, we observed the so-called boson peak at around 1.5 meV and the picosecond fast process for the first time in thin films, both of which decreased in intensity with film thickness. These results were discussed in terms of the potential hardening due to the confinement of polymer chains and/or the interfacial dead layer.     

Dynamic anisotropy and heterogeneity of polystyrene thin films as studied by inelastic neutron scattering

We studied the dynamic anisotropy and heterogeniety of polystyrene thin films in glassy state with inelastic neutorn scattering. Adjusting the scattering vector to the directions parallel and perpendicular to the film surface, we observed the elastic scattering intensities as a function of temperature. It was found for the 200 A film that the elastic intesity decreased with increasing temperature more rapidly in the perpendicular direction than in the pararell direction, showing the higher mobility in the perpendicular direction. However, such dynamical anisotropy was not observed in the 1000 A film. The decrease in the mobility was observed with the film thickness in both the directions. These results were explained in terms of an interface hard layer. We also evelauated the dynamical heterogeniety from the non-Gaussian parameter A0, which increased with decreasing the film thickness, showing the increase in the dynamical heterogeneity. Assuming a simple bi-layer model consisting of the interface hard layer and the bulk-like layer, we analyzed the thickness dependence of the non-Gaussian parameter A0 and the mean square displacement (u2) to find that the hard layer has a thickness of approximately 130 A and a mean square displacement of approximately 0.018 A2 at 230 K.     

Characterization of amorphous solid derived from crystal

Amorphous solid of tri-O-methyl-β-cyclodextrin was produced by grinding its crystalline sample with a rod-milling machine at room temeprature. Structural and thermal characterizations of the sample during amorphizing process were done by X-ray powder diffraction and differential scanning calorimeter. The glass transition for a fully amorphized sample was found to occur at essentially the same temperature as that for a liquid-quenched glass. The heat capacities of the non-crystalline solids realized by grinding and liquid quenching and of the crystalline solid were measured by a low temperature adiabatic calorimeter. Excess enthalpies of the ground amorphous solid and liquid quenched glass over that of the hypothetical equilibrium liquid were determined calorimetrically. Similar and dissimilar thermal behavior of both non-crystalline solids were compared.     

Solid state amorphization and glass transition of tri-O-methyl-β-cyclodextrin

Amorphous solid of tri-O-methyl--cyclodextrin was formed by grinding the crystalline sample with a vibrating mill at room temperature. The amorphising process was examined by X-ray powder diffraction technique and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The Bragg peaks disappeared and the enthalpy of crystallization became constant for the sample ground for 25 min, indicating the apparent completion of the amorphization. A glass transition of the ground amorphous solid was found by DSC. The glass transition temperature T_g moved from 58°C to 79°C with grinding. The saturated T_g of the ground sample was the same as that of the liquid-quenched glass. No significant difference between the ground and liquid-quenched amorphous solids was found in the X-ray diffraction patterns. Infrared spectra of both amorphous solids, however, showed a definite difference for the band at 1194 cm^–1 assigned to the rocking of the CH₃ groups which are located at the molecular periphery.

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Zusammenfassung Amorphes festes Tri-O-methyl--cyclodextrin wurde bei Raumtemperatur durch Mahlen einer kristallinen Probe in einer Vibrationsmühle hergestellt. Der Amorphisierungsprozeß wurde mittels Röntgenpulverdiffraktion und DSC verfolgt. Die Braggschen Peaks verschwanden und die Kristallisierungsenthalpie nahm nach einem Mahldauer von 25 min einen konstanten Wert an, was auf die augenscheinliche Beendigung des Amorphisierungsprozesses hinweist. Mittels DSC wurde ein Glasumwandlungspunkt des gemahlenen amorphen Feststoffes gefunden. Die Glasumwandlungstemperatur T_g stieg durch das Mahlen von 58°C auf 79°C. Der Sättigungswert T_g der gemahlenen Probe war der gleiche wie für flüssigkeitsabgeschrecktes Glas. In den Röntgendiffraktogrammen konnte zwischen den gemahlenen und den flüssigkeitsabgeschreckten amorphen Feststoffen keinen Unterschied feststellen. Die IR-Spektren von beiden amorphen Feststoffen zeigen einen signifikanten Unterschied für die Bande bei 1194 cm^–1, der Nickschwingung der CH₃-Gruppen am Molekülrand.

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Dedicated to Professor Dr. H. J. Seifert on the occasion of his 60^th birthday

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Contribution No. 35 from the Microcalorimetry Research Centre.

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The authors thank the research group of Professor Yoshinobu Nakai, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, Chiba University, for their kind advice for the grinding-amorphization method. The authors are deeply indebted to Mr. Tetsuo Yamamoto for his X-ray diffraction experiments and Mr. Shin-ichi Ishikawa for his IR experiments.     

Enthalpy relaxation of low molecular weight amorphous styrene oligomers measured with an adiabatic calorimeter

Herein, we measured the enthalpy relaxation of three styrene oligomers with different molecular weights (styrene oligomer with M_w?=?4.53?×?10²: PSA-300, styrene oligomer with M_w?=?5.89?×?10²: PSA-500, and styrene oligomer with M_w?=?1.01?×?10³: PSA-1000) near their respective glass transition temperatures (T_g) using an adiabatic calorimeter. We determined the relaxation rates and the amounts of configurational enthalpy released from the temperature dependence of the temperature drift rates around T_g. Based on our experimental findings, we found the amounts of configurational enthalpy release per monomer unit to be 0.8, 3.5, and 1.6 kJ mol^?1 for PSA-300, PSA-500, and PSA-1000, respectively. These values were 3.9–18 times larger than that of glycerol, which is a typical glass-forming liquid.