Abstract
Despite two decades of extensive research, direct experimental evidence of a dynamical length scale determining the glass transition of confined polymers has yet to emerge. Using a recently established experimental technique of interface micro-rheology we provide evidence of finite-size effect truncating the growth of a quantity proportional to a dynamical length scale in confined glassy polymers, on cooling towards the glass transition temperature. We show how the interplay of variation of polymer film thickness and this temperature-dependent growing dynamical length scale determines the glass transition temperature, which in our case of 2–3 nm thick films, is reduced significantly as compared to their bulk values.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
G.M. Whitesides, Nature 442, 368 (2006).
J. Israelachvili, H. Wennerstrom, Nature 379, 219 (1996).
M. Alcoutlabi, G.B. McKenna, J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 17, R461 (2005).
T.D. Li, E. Riedo, Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 106102 (2008).
S. Han, M.Y. Choi, P. Kumar, H.E. Stanley, Nat. Phys. 6, 685 (2010).
C. Alba-Simionesco1 et al., Eur. Phys. J. E 12, 19 (2003).
D. Morineaua et al., J. Chem. Phys. 121, 1466 (2004).
U. Raviv, J. Klein, Science 297, 1540 (2002).
P.A. O’Connell, G.B. McKenna, Science 307, 1760 (2005).
A. Serghei, H. Huth, C. Schick, F. Kremer, Macromolecules 41, 3636 (2008).
S. Srivastava, J.K. Basu, Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 165701 (2007).
J.A. Forrest, K. Dalnoki-Veress, Adv. Colloid Interface Sci. 94, 167 (2001).
Z. Yang, Y. Fujii, F.K. Lee, C.-H. Lam, O.K.C. Tsui, Science 328, 1676 (2010).
H. Shintani, H. Tanaka, Nat. Phys. 2, 200 (2006).
F. Sausset, G. Tarjus, Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 065701 (2010).
S.A. Kivelson, G. Tarjus, Nat. Mater. 7, 831 (2008).
E. Donth, The Glass Transition: Realaxation Dynamics in Liquids and Disordered Materials (Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2001).
C.A. Angell, K.L. Ngai, G.B. McKenna, P.F. McMillan, S.W. Martin, J. Appl. Phys. 88, 3113 (2000).
V. Lubchenko, Peter G. Wolynes, Annu. Rev. Phys. Chem. 58, 235 (2007).
W. Gotze, Complex Dynamics of Glass-Forming Liquids: A Mode-Coupling Theory (Oxford University Press, 2009).
C. Bennemann, C. Donati, J. Baschnagel, S.C. Glotzer, Nature 246, 399 (1999).
L. Berthier et al., Science 310, 1797 (2005).
W. Kob, C. Donati, S.J. Plimpton, P.H. Poole, S.C. Glotzer, Phys. Rev. Lett. 79, 2827 (1997).
M.D. Ediger, Annu. Rev. Phys. Chem. 51, 99 (2000).
P. Ballesta, A. Duri, L. Cipelletti, Nat. Phys. 4, 550 (2008).
A.S. Keys et al., Nat. Phys. 3, 260 (2007).
A.K. Kandar, R. Bhattacharya, J.K. Basu, Phys. Rev. E. 81, 041504 (2010).
A.K. Kandar, R. Bhattacharya, J.K. Basu, J. Chem. Phys. 133, 071102 (2010).
A. Schonhals, H. Goering, C. Schick, B. Frick, R. Zorn, J. Non-Cryst. Solids 351, 2668 (2005).
P. Sarangapani, J. Zhao, Y. Zhu, J. Chem. Phys. 129, 104514 (2008).
K. Jagannathan, B.J. Sung, A. Yethiraj, Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 145503 (2006).
S. Srivastava et al., Soft Matter. 7, 1994 (2011).
C. Toninelli, M. Wyart, L. Berthier, G. Biroli, J.-P. Bouchaud, Phys. Rev. E. 71, 041505 (2005).
C. Dalle-Ferrier et al., Phys. Rev. E. 76, 041510 (2007).
C. Donati, S. Franz, S.C. Glotzer, G. Parisi, J. Non-Cryst. Solids 307, 215 (2002).
J.L. Barrat, J. Baschnagel, A. Lyulin, Soft Matter 6, 3430 (2010).
S. Karmakar, C. Dasgupta, S. Sastry, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 106, 3675 (2009).
J. Mattsson et al., Nature 462, 83 (2009).
V. Pryamitsyn, V. Ganesan, Macromolecules 43, 5851 (2010).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kandar, A.K., Basu, J.K. Experimental evidence for interplay of dynamic heterogeneity and finite-size effect in glassy polymers. Eur. Phys. J. E 34, 95 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2011-11095-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2011-11095-6