Spatial regimes in the dynamics of polyolefins: Self-motion

Segmental dynamics in miscible polymer blends: recent results and open questions

In this short review we summarize the outcome of the large amount of effort made during the past decade from both the experimental and the theoretical point of view in order to understand the effect of blending on the segmental dynamics in polymers. Each of the two families of models proposed-one based on thermally activated concentration fluctuations, the other on chain connectivity effects-account for each of the two main experimental observations: the broadening of the component response with respect to that of the homopolymer and the dynamic heterogeneity, respectively. The complementarity of these approaches, their main achievements and failures, are critically revised. We also include recent results on blends of components with very different mobilities. In the neighbourhood of the glass-transition of the slow polymer, the dynamics of the other component seem to be confined within the frozen chains. We suggest possible ingredients and new routes to be considered in order to elaborate more predictive theoretical frameworks for all these phenomena.

The single chain limit of structural relaxation in a polyolefin blend

The influence of composition on component dynamics and relevant static properties in a miscible polymer blend is investigated using molecular dynamics simulation. Emphasis is placed on dynamics in the single chain dilution limit, as this limit isolates the role of inherent component mobility in the polymer's dynamic behavior when placed in a blend. For our systems, a biased local concentration affecting dynamics must arise primarily from chain connectivity, which is quantified by the self-concentration, because concentration fluctuations are minimized due to restraints on chain lengths arising from simulation considerations. The polyolefins simulated [poly(ethylene-propylene) (PEP) and poly(ethylene-butene) (PEB)] have similar structures and glass transition temperatures, and all interactions are dispersive in nature. We find that the dependence of dynamics upon composition differs between the two materials. Specifically, PEB (slower component) is more influenced by the environment than PEP. This is linked to a smaller self-concentration for PEB than PEP. We examine the accuracy of the Lodge-McLeish model (which is based on chain connectivity acting over the Kuhn segment length) in predicting simulation results for effective concentration. The model predicts the simulation results with high accuracy when the model's single parameter, the self-concentration, is calculated from simulation data. However, when utilizing the theoretical prediction of the self-concentration the model is not quantitatively accurate. The ability of the model to link the simulated self-concentration with biased local compositions at the Kuhn segment length provides strong support for the claim that chain connectivity is the leading cause of distinct mobility in polymer blends. Additionally, the direct link between the willingness of a polymer to be influenced by the environment and the value of the self-concentration emphasizes the importance of the chain connectivity. Furthermore, these findings are evidence that the Kuhn segment length is the relevant length scale controlling segmental dynamics.

Do Theories of the Glass Transition, in which the Structural Relaxation Time Does Not Define the Dispersion of the Structural Relaxation, Need Revision?

Upon decreasing temperature or increasing pressure, a noncrystallizing liquid will vitrify; that is, the structural relaxation time, taualpha, becomes so long that the system cannot attain an equilibrium configuration in the available time. Theories, including the well-known free volume and configurational entropy models, explain the glass transition by invoking a single quantity that governs the structural relaxation time. The dispersion of the structural relaxation (i.e., the structural relaxation function) is either not addressed or is derived as a parallel consequence (or afterthought) and thus is independent of taualpha. In these models the time dependence of the relaxation bears no fundamental relationship to the value of taualpha or other dynamic properties. Such approaches appear to be incompatible with a general experimental fact recently discovered in glass-formers: for a given material at a fixed value of taualpha, the dispersion is constant, independent of thermodynamic conditions (T and P); that is, the shape of the alpha-relaxation function depends only on the relaxation time. If derived independently of taualpha, it is an unlikely result that the dispersion of the structural relaxation would be uniquely defined by taualpha.