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Winkler R, Beena Unni A, Tu W, Chat K, Adrjanowicz K. On the Segmental Dynamics and the Glass Transition Behavior of Poly(2-vinylpyridine) in One- and Two-Dimensional Nanometric Confinement. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:5991-6003. [PMID: 34048244 PMCID: PMC8279553 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c01245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Geometric nanoconfinement, in one and two dimensions, has a fundamental influence on the segmental dynamics of polymer glass-formers and can be markedly different from that observed in the bulk state. In this work, with the use of dielectric spectroscopy, we have investigated the glass transition behavior of poly(2-vinylpyridine) (P2VP) confined within alumina nanopores and prepared as a thin film supported on a silicon substrate. P2VP is known to exhibit strong, attractive interactions with confining surfaces due to the ability to form hydrogen bonds. Obtained results show no changes in the temperature evolution of the α-relaxation time in nanopores down to 20 nm size and 24 nm thin film. There is also no evidence of an out-of-equilibrium behavior observed for other glass-forming systems confined at the nanoscale. Nevertheless, in both cases, the confinement effect is seen as a substantial broadening of the α-relaxation time distribution. We discussed the results in terms of the importance of the interfacial energy between the polymer and various substrates, the sensitivity of the glass-transition temperature to density fluctuations, and the density scaling concept.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roksana Winkler
- Institute
of Physics, University of Silesia, 75 Pulku Piechoty 1, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland
- Silesian
Center for Education and Interdisciplinary Research (SMCEBI), 75 Pulku Piechoty 1a, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland
| | - Aparna Beena Unni
- Institute
of Physics, University of Silesia, 75 Pulku Piechoty 1, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland
- Silesian
Center for Education and Interdisciplinary Research (SMCEBI), 75 Pulku Piechoty 1a, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland
| | - Wenkang Tu
- Institute
of Physics, University of Silesia, 75 Pulku Piechoty 1, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland
- Silesian
Center for Education and Interdisciplinary Research (SMCEBI), 75 Pulku Piechoty 1a, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Chat
- Institute
of Physics, University of Silesia, 75 Pulku Piechoty 1, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland
- Silesian
Center for Education and Interdisciplinary Research (SMCEBI), 75 Pulku Piechoty 1a, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland
| | - Karolina Adrjanowicz
- Institute
of Physics, University of Silesia, 75 Pulku Piechoty 1, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland
- Silesian
Center for Education and Interdisciplinary Research (SMCEBI), 75 Pulku Piechoty 1a, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland
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Tarnacka M, Geppert-Rybczyńska M, Dulski M, Grelska J, Jurkiewicz K, Grzybowska K, Kamiński K, Paluch M. Local structure and molecular dynamics of highly polar propylene carbonate derivative infiltrated within alumina and silica porous templates. J Chem Phys 2021; 154:064701. [PMID: 33588559 DOI: 10.1063/5.0040150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Herein, we examined the effect of finite size and wettability on the structural dynamics and the molecular arrangement of the propylene carbonate derivative, (S)-(-)-4-methoxymethyl-1,3-dioxolan-2-one (assigned as s-methoxy-PC), incorporated into alumina and silica porous templates of pore diameters d = 4 nm-10 nm using Raman and broadband dielectric spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and x-ray diffraction. It was demonstrated that only subtle changes in the molecular organization and short-range order of confined s-methoxy-PC molecules were detected. Yet, a significant deviation of the structural dynamics and depression of the glass transition temperatures, Tg, was found for all confined samples with respect to the bulk material. Interestingly, these changes correlate with neither the finite size effects nor the interfacial energy but seem to vary with wettability, generally. Nevertheless, for s-methoxy-PC infiltrated into native (more hydrophilic) and modified (more hydrophobic) silica templates of the same nanochannel size (d = 4 nm), a change in the dynamics and Tg was negligible despite a significant variation in wettability. These results indicated that although wettability might be a suitable variable to predict alteration of the structural dynamics and depression of the glass transition temperature, other factors, i.e., surface roughness and the density packing, might also have a strong contribution to the observed confinement effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Tarnacka
- Institute of Physics, University of Silesia in Katowice, 75 Pułku Piechoty 1, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland
| | | | - Mateusz Dulski
- Silesian Center of Education and Interdisciplinary Research, 75 Pułku Piechoty 1A, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland
| | - Joanna Grelska
- Institute of Physics, University of Silesia in Katowice, 75 Pułku Piechoty 1, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland
| | - Karolina Jurkiewicz
- Institute of Physics, University of Silesia in Katowice, 75 Pułku Piechoty 1, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Grzybowska
- Institute of Physics, University of Silesia in Katowice, 75 Pułku Piechoty 1, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland
| | - Kamil Kamiński
- Institute of Physics, University of Silesia in Katowice, 75 Pułku Piechoty 1, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland
| | - Marian Paluch
- Institute of Physics, University of Silesia in Katowice, 75 Pułku Piechoty 1, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland
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Tarnacka M, Wojtyniak M, Brzózka A, Talik A, Hachuła B, Kamińska E, Sulka GD, Kaminski K, Paluch M. Unique Behavior of Poly(propylene glycols) Confined within Alumina Templates Having a Nanostructured Interface. NANO LETTERS 2020; 20:5714-5719. [PMID: 32559092 PMCID: PMC7588129 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c01116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2020] [Revised: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Herein we show that the nanostructured interface obtained via modulation of the pore size has a strong impact on the segmental and chain dynamics of two poly(propylene glycol) (PPG) derivatives with various molecular weights (Mn = 4000 g/mol and Mn = 2000 g/mol). In fact, a significant acceleration of the dynamics was observed for PPG infiltrated into ordinary alumina templates (Dp = 36 nm), while bulklike behavior was found for samples incorporated into membranes of modulated diameter (19 nm < Dp < 28 nm). We demostrated that the modulation-induced roughness reduces surface interactions of polymer chains near the interface with respect to the ones adsorbed to the ordinary nanochannels. Interestingly, this effect is noted despite the enhanced wettability of PPG in the latter system. Consequently, as a result of weaker H-bonding surface interactions, the conformation of segments seems to locally mimic the bulk arrangement, leading to bulklike dynamics, highlighting the crucial impact of the interface on the overall behavior of confined materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Tarnacka
- Institute
of Physics, University of Silesia in Katowice, ul. 75 Pulku Piechoty 1, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland
- Silesian
Center of Education and Interdisciplinary Research, University of Silesia in Katowice, ul. 75 Pulku Piechoty 1A, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland
| | - Marcin Wojtyniak
- Institute
of Physics, University of Silesia in Katowice, ul. 75 Pulku Piechoty 1, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland
- Silesian
Center of Education and Interdisciplinary Research, University of Silesia in Katowice, ul. 75 Pulku Piechoty 1A, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Brzózka
- Department
of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, ul. Gronostajowa 2, 30-387 Krakow, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Talik
- Institute
of Physics, University of Silesia in Katowice, ul. 75 Pulku Piechoty 1, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland
- Silesian
Center of Education and Interdisciplinary Research, University of Silesia in Katowice, ul. 75 Pulku Piechoty 1A, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland
| | - Barbara Hachuła
- Institute
of Chemistry, University of Silesia in Katowice, ul. Szkolna 9, 40-007 Katowice, Poland
| | - Ewa Kamińska
- Department
of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, Faculty
of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Sosnowiec, Medical University of Silesia
in Katowice, ul. Jagiellonska 4, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland
| | - Grzegorz D. Sulka
- Department
of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, ul. Gronostajowa 2, 30-387 Krakow, Poland
| | - Kamil Kaminski
- Institute
of Physics, University of Silesia in Katowice, ul. 75 Pulku Piechoty 1, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland
- Silesian
Center of Education and Interdisciplinary Research, University of Silesia in Katowice, ul. 75 Pulku Piechoty 1A, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland
| | - Marian Paluch
- Institute
of Physics, University of Silesia in Katowice, ul. 75 Pulku Piechoty 1, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland
- Silesian
Center of Education and Interdisciplinary Research, University of Silesia in Katowice, ul. 75 Pulku Piechoty 1A, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland
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Tarnacka M, Mierzwa M, Kamińska E, Kamiński K, Paluch M. High-pressure experiments as a novel perspective to study the molecular dynamics of glass-forming materials confined at the nanoscale. NANOSCALE 2020; 12:10600-10608. [PMID: 32373895 DOI: 10.1039/d0nr02255a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Herein, we report the pioneering high-pressure dielectric studies on the dynamics of a model van der Waals glass-forming liquid bisphenol-A diglycidyl ether (DGEBA) infiltrated into anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates of the mean pore sizes, d = 150 and d = 18 nm. It was found that although the shape of the structural relaxation process varies with the confinement, it remains constant under varying thermodynamic conditions for a given pore diameter. Consequently, the time-temperature-pressure (TTP) rule satisfied for the majority of bulk substances is also obeyed for the spatially restricted liquid. We have also shown for the first time that there is a decoupling between the core and interfacial mobility at elevated pressure. Moreover, it was noted that the structural dynamics of the former fraction of molecules becomes systematically shorter with respect to the bulk DGEBA during the compression. The enhanced structural dynamics of the core material, as well as the varying pressure coefficients of the glass transition temperature of the interfacial and core molecules, have been discussed in the context of a distinct evolution in their free volume/density packing with respect to the bulk DGEBA, and a change in the interfacial tension, which may lead to the enhanced wettability of the liquid adsorbed onto the pore walls under different thermodynamic conditions. The performed high-pressure measurements offer novel perspectives to explore the combination of two different effects, compression and confinement, which might be a breakthrough in the study of the glass transition phenomenon and the behavior of soft materials confined at the nanoscale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Tarnacka
- University of Silesia in Katowice, ul. 75 Pułku Piechoty 1, 41-500 Chorzow, Poland.
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