Analysis of orientational relaxation in binary blends of long and short polystyrene chains by fourier transform infrared dichroism and small-angle neutron scattering

Measurements of the local orientational order and average chain anisotropy in non-uniform polystyrene are reported. Fourier-transform infrared dichroism spectroscopy has been used to determine the effects of short deuterated chains (Mw = 500 to 188 000) on the orientational relaxation of long entangled chains (Mw = 2 000 000) in bidisperse melts uniaxially deformed above the glass transition temperature. While the long-chain relaxation is found to be dependent on the short-chain concentration, the local orientational order of the latter is molecular weight dependent consistent with the classical relaxation theories. The FTIR experiments are also combined with small-angle neutron scattering measurements which probe the deuterated-chain anisotropy in the defomed melts. There is evidence, from the combination of the two techniques, that although the short chains possess a negligible local orientational order, there exists an important anisotopy in the short chain distribution in space.