Browsing by Subject "nanoconfinement effect"

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    Dramatic reduction of the effect of nanoconfinement on the glass transition of polymer films via addition of small-molecule diluent
    (The American Physical Society, 2004-03-05) Ellison, Christopher J.; Ruszkowski, Robert L.; Fredin, Nathaniel J.; Torkelson, John M.
    The effect of nanoconfinement on the glass transition temperature T8 in thin polymer films is studied as a function of added small-molecule diluent or plasticizer. The decrease [increase] in T8 found in nanoconfined, neat polystyrene [poly(2-vinyl pyridine)] is suppressed by added diluent, with 13–20 nm thick polystyrene films exhibiting bulk T8 upon addition of 9 wt% pyrene or 4 wt% dioctylphthalate. This is explained by a connection between the size scale of the cooperative dynamics associated with T8, which decreases with added diluent, and the size scale of the nanoconfinement effect.