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Polymer/clay nanocomposite materials based on poly(propylene-graft-maleic anhydride) (PPgMAH) and two different organophilic modified clays were investigated by dielectric relaxation spectroscopy (DRS). In contrast to ungrafted polypropylene (PP), PPgMAH shows a dielectrically active relaxation process which can be assigned to localized fluctuations of the polar maleic anhydride groups. Its relaxation rate exhibits an unusual temperature dependence, which could be attributed to a redistribution of water molecules in the polymeric matrix. This is confirmed by a combination of Raman spectroscopy and thermogravimetric experiments (TGA) with real-time dielectric measurements under controlled atmospheres. In the nanocomposites this relaxation process is shifted to higher frequencies up to 3 orders of magnitude compared to the unfilled polymer. This indicates a significantly enhanced molecular mobility in the interfacial regions. In the nanocomposite materials a separate high-temperature process due to Maxwell-Wagner-Sillars (MWS) polarization was observed. The time constant of this MWS process can be correlated with characteristic length scales in nanocomposites and therefore provides additional information on dispersion and delamination/exfoliation of clay platelets in these materials. These properties also influence the diffusivity of the water molecules as revealed by real-time dielectric investigations.

Nanocomposites were prepared by solution blending of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane with phenethyl substituents (PhenethylPOSS) into poly(bisphenol A carbonate) (PBAC). The nanocomposites were investigated by dielectric spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and density measurements. PhenethylPOSS shows one relaxation process, the R-relaxation, confirmed by DSC investigations. PBAC shows a β-relaxation at lower and an R-relaxation at higher temperatures. With increasing PhenethylPOSS content the R-relaxation of the composites shifts to lower temperatures. Thus, incorporation of PhenethylPOSS leads to a plasticization of PBAC due to a decrease of the packing density which is rationalized by density measurements. For higher concentrations of PhenethylPOSS (>10 wt %) the R-relaxation of the polycarbonate matrix splits into two peaks. Moreover, close to the R-relaxation of PhenethylPOSS a third process is observed. These results indicate a phase separation into a PBAC matrix with a few percents of molecularly solved POSS and POSS-rich domains. These POSS-rich domains are surrounded by an interfacial layer of PBAC having a higher concentration of POSS than the matrix. A phase diagram is deduced providing a miscibility criterion. For the phase separated nanocomposites an interfacial polarization phenomena is observed. Using a simplified model the time constant of this process is correlated with the size of the PhenethylPOSS-rich domains and theire increasing size with the increase of the concentration of POSS.

Polymers with intrinsic microporosity (PIMs) represent a novel, innovative class of materials with great potential in various applications from high-performance gas-separation membranes to electronic devices. Here, for the first time, for PIM-1, as the archetypal PIM, fast scanning calorimetry provides definitive evidence of a glass transition ( T = 715 K, heating rate 3 × 10 K/s) by decoupling the time scales responsible for glass transition and decomposition. Because the rigid molecular structure of PIM-1 prevents any conformational changes, small-scale bend and flex fluctuations must be considered the origin of its glass transition. This result has strong implications for the fundamental understanding of the glass transition and for the physical aging of PIMs and other complex polymers, both topical problems of materials science.

The increasing demand for energy efficient separation processes fosters the development of new high performance polymers as selective separation layers for membranes. PIM-1 is the archetypal representative of the class of polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIM) which are considered most promising in this sector, especially for gas separations. Since their introduction, PIMs stimulated a vast amount of research in this field and meanwhile evolved to the state-of-the-art in membrane technology for gas separation. The major obstacle for extending the practical membrane application is their strong tendency to physical aging. For the first time, investigations by broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS) addressing molecular dynamics and conductivity in PIM-1 are presented. As chain packing during film formation from the casting solution and physical aging are key factors determining the separation performance of PIMs as membrane materials, characterization of the molecular mobility in such materials as revealed by BDS will provide valuable information for further development and optimization.

Nanocomposites were prepared by solution blending of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane with phenethyl substituents (PhenethylPOSS) into polystyrene (PS). The prepared materials were investigated by dielectric spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and density measurements. Additional FTIR investigations were carried out. Pure polystyrene shows two relaxation processes, an intermediate β*-process at lower and the R-relaxation at higher temperatures, the latter corresponding to segmental dynamics (dynamic glass transition). The molecular assignment of the β*-process needs further investigation. PhenethylPOSS can be incorporated into PS up to about 40 wt % without any indication of phase separation. With increasing PhenethylPOSS content, the R-relaxation of the composites shifts to lower temperatures and the loss peak broadens. Thus, the main effect of the nanofiller in the polystyrene matrix is to enhance the segmental dynamics, i.e., plasticization. The incorporation of approximately 40 wt % (approximately 5 mol %) PhenethylPOSS shifts the glass transition temperature T g by 50 K to lower temperatures. The obtained results for polystyrene are discussed together with those reported recently for polycarbonate where a phase-separated morphology is observed for higher concentrations of PhenethylPOSS. The different behavior of PhenethylPOSS in polystyrene and polycarbonate is interpreted in terms of the different interaction of the phenyl rings within the POSS substituents with the phenyl rings of the polymers. For polystyrene, the interaction is stronger than for polycarbonate which probably leads to the enhanced miscibility of PhenethylPOSS into polystyrene. A detailed analysis of the temperature dependence of the dielectric relaxation strengths points also to additional interactions in the nanocomposites when compared to pure polystyrene. The broadening of the loss peak with increasing concentration is discussed in the framework of composition fluctuations.

Experimental sorption and dilation data of the polysulfone/CO 2 system at 308 K and pressures up to 50 bar were measured utilizing a gravimetric sorption balance and a dilatometer based on a capacitive distance sensor. The data of this glassy polymer/gas system were subjected to a thorough kinetic analysis on the basis of a viscoelastic model, which allows the separation of the diffusive/elastic fraction of the sorption/dilation process from the slower relaxational part. The results were interpreted in terms of the common dual mode sorption model and the site distribution model of Kirchheim. Detailed atomistic packing models of the same polymer/gas system were created for two reference states with regard to concentration and swelling. The CO 2 sorption isotherms of the packing models corresponding to these two swelling states, calculated using GCMC simulations, could be combined in order to interpolate the gas uptake over the intermediate pressure range with good agreement to the experimental data. The elastic part of the gas induced dilation is successfully described by MD simulations and derived partial molar volumes are in satisfying agreement with experimental findings. Finally, the free Volume of the packing models is probed and the obtained size distribution of the free Volume elements is compared to the results of the analysis of experimental data according to the site distribution model.

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