| Abstract: | Dynamic mechanical and dielectric properties of various kinds of polystyrene, including bulk-polymerized, monodisperse, isotactic, and thermally degraded samples, have been measured below the glass temperature to 4°K. Five relaxation processes are found, designated β, γ, γ′, δ, and ε in order of descending temperature. The β peak (350°K at 10 kHz) is attributed to the local oscillation mode of backbone chains and the γ′ peak (180°K at 10 kHz) to rotation of phenyl groups. The δ peak (100°K at 10 kHz) is observed only in dielectric properties of the bulk-polymerized sample and is assigned to weak polar bonds, such as oxygen bonds in the chain. The δ peak (55°K at 10 kHz) which is prominent in dynamic mechanical properties is interpreted in terms of lattice defects due to a syndiotactic diad inserted between isotactic sequences in a chain or vice versa. The ε peak (ca. 25°K at 10 kHz) is first reported in the present work, but the mechanism involved is not yet clear. |
