Dielectric relaxation of polystyrene with side-chain- and chain-end-labels

Length Scale of Molecular Motions Governing Glass Equilibration in Hyperquenched and Slow-Cooled Polystyrene

Polymer glasses attain thermodynamic equilibrium owing to structural relaxation at various length scales. Herein, calorimetry experiments were conducted to trace the macroscopic relaxation of slow-cooled (SC) and hyperquenched (HQ) polystyrene (PS) glasses and based on detailed comparisons with molecular dynamics probed by dye reorientation, we discussed the possible molecular process governing the equilibration of PS glasses near the glass transition temperatures (Tg). Both SC and HQ glasses equilibrate owing to the cooperative segment motion above a characteristic temperature (Tc) slightly lower than the Tg. In contrast, below the Tc, the localized backbone motion with an apparent activation energy of 290 ± 20 kJ/mol, involving approximately six repeating units, assists equilibrium recovery of PS glasses on the experimentally accessible time scales. The results possibly indicate the presence of an alternative mechanism other than the α-cooperative process controlling physical aging of materials in their deep glassy states.

Molecular Dynamics of a Polymer in Mixed Solvent: Atactic Polystyrene in a Mixture of Cyclohexane and N,N-Dimethylformamide

Local structural and dynamic properties of atactic polystyrene in a mixed solvent of cyclohexane (CH) and N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) have been investigated using molecular dynamics simulations. We measure local conformations in the polymer and classify them by distance and angle distribution histograms. End-to-end distances and structure factors are employed to describe the static structure of polystyrene chains. Polystyrene concentration, including 1.6%, 4.8%, and 14% (by weight), and solution temperatures of 300, 330, or 360 K are used to elucidate the concentration and temperature dependencies of the solvation by the two solvents. Both solvent molecules preferentially approach the phenyl rings. At lower temperatures, polystyrene dissolves more favorably in cyclohexane. With rising temperature DMF molecules approach more closely with the oxygen oriented toward the phenyl rings. Additionally, the global and segmental relaxation times of the chains decrease and the system becomes more homogeneous. The segmental and global dynamics of polystyrene show different concentration behaviors: the reorientation times of solvent molecules and segments of polystyrene increase with concentration while the global dynamics of polystyrene decelerates as the concentration is changed from 1.6% to 4.8% but accelerates when the concentration rises to 14%. We conclude that the change of concentration from 4.8% to 14% qualitatively marks the change from a dilute to a semidilute solution. The diffusion constants of the small molecules and corresponding activation energies have also been measured. Our simulation data are compared with available experimental results and we find a satisfactory agreement.