Direct Relationship Between Interfacial Microstructure and Confined Crystallization in Poly(Ethylene Oxide)/Silica Composites: The Study of Polymer Molecular Weight Effects |
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| Authors: | Weiwei Zhao Yunlan Su Alejandro J. Müller Xia Gao Dujin Wang |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Engineering Plastics, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China;2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China;3. POLYMAT and Polymer Science and Technology Department, Faculty of Chemistry, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal 3, Donostia‐San Sebastia'n, Spain;4. IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain |
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| Abstract: | With particular focus on the characterization of polymer–nanoparticle interaction, the effects of polymer molecular weight (M n) on confined crystallization of the interfacial region in poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)/silica (SiO2) composites were investigated, employing differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic light scattering, and proton nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation techniques. Dependence of crystallization on M n in PEO/SiO2 composites is found to be closely related to the microstructure changes in adsorbed polymer. PEO adsorbs in a manner that produces a tightly bound layer (amorphous) with constant thickness, independent of M n, and creates a loosely bound layer with flattened structure for short PEO chains but coiled conformation for long chains. The contribution of this Mn‐dependent layer to crystallization grows with M n, showing a transition from non‐crystalline phase to the formation of a crystallization peak (?25 to ?33 °C), and then to crystallization together with non‐adsorbed PEO. The comprehensive description of the interfacial region should be a helpful tool in the preparation and modification of polymer nanocomposites. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55 , 1608–1616 |
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| Keywords: | confined crystallization interphase nanocomposites polymer molecular weight |
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