Dynamic study of free volume properties in polyethylene/styrene butadiene rubber blends by positron annihilation lifetime method

Probing the Free Volume in Polymers by Means of Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy

Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) is a valuable technique to investigate defects in solids, such as vacancy clusters and grain boundaries in metals and alloys, as well as lattice imperfections in semiconductors. Positron spectroscopy is able to reveal the size, structure and concentration of vacancies with a sensitivity of 10^-7. In the field of porous and amorphous systems, PALS can probe cavities in the range from a few tenths up to several tens of nm. In the case of polymers, PALS is one of the few techniques able to give information on the holes forming the free volume. This quantity, which cannot be measured with macroscopic techniques, is correlated to important mechanical, thermal, and transport properties of polymers. It can be deduced theoretically by applying suitable equations of state derived by cell models, and PALS supplies a quantitative measure of the free volume by probing the corresponding sub-nanometric holes. The system used is positronium (Ps), an unstable atom formed by a positron and an electron, whose lifetime can be related to the typical size of the holes. When analyzed in terms of continuous lifetimes, the positron annihilation spectrum allows one to gain insight into the distribution of the free volume holes, an almost unique feature of this technique. The present paper is an overview of PALS, addressed in particular to readers not familiar with this technique, with emphasis on the experimental aspects. After a general introduction on free volume, positronium, and the experimental apparatus needed to acquire the corresponding lifetime, some of the recent results obtained by various groups will be shown, highlighting the connections between the free volume as probed by PALS and structural properties of the investigated materials.

Investigation of the relation between free volume and physico-mechanical performance in rigid polyurethane foam containing turkey feather fibers: Part 2

Rigid polyurethane foams (RPUFs) were modified with 0–15 wt.% turkey feather fibers (TFFs) produced from waste turkey feathers. One-shut free rising method was used for the production of TFFs-filled-RPUFs in a closed mold. The dependence of mechanical performance and water vapor permeability (WVP) feature of the final foams on TFFs loading was evaluated with free volume change. The free volume analysis was performed via Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy (PALS), while the mechanical and WVP characteristics were determined with the use of the universal tester machines. PALS findings showed that the incorporation of TFFs with RPUF matrix caused the considerable diminishment in the free volume due to TFFs serving as a filling material and formation of strong secondary bonds between components. Moreover, tensile strength and extension of the foams decreased with the increasing of TFFs, which caused by the occurrence of noteworthy restriction on the spatial alignment and orientation capability of polyurethane chains due to the lack of sufficient free volume allowing the chains to move freely. As for the compression tests, all the TFFs-loaded RPUFs depicted substantially lower performance due to TFFs interfering with the ordered organization of isocyanate domains. Moreover, impact test results showed that the addition of TFFs into RPUF matrix brought about the insufficient impact energy delocalization throughout the matrix due to the restriction on the mobility of polymer chains. Additionally, the remarkable diminishment in WVP was recorded due to the reduction in the number of vacancies and constitution of keratin composed of roundly 60% of hydrophilic protein (especially cystine). All in all, this study established a strong links between free volume and characteristics of TFFs-loaded RPUFs.