Segmental relaxations have macroscopic consequences in glassy polymer films
We have investigated the consequences of physical aging in thin spin-coated glassy polystyrene films through detailed dewetting studies. A simultaneous and equally fast exponential decay of dewetting velocity, width, and height of the rim with aging time was observed, which is related to a reduction...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article (Journal) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
27 September 2012
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| In: |
Physical review letters
Year: 2012, Volume: 109, Issue: 13, Pages: 1-5 |
| ISSN: | 1079-7114 |
| DOI: | 10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.136102 |
| Online Access: | Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.136102 Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: https://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.136102 
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| Author Notes: | Mithun Chowdhury, Paul Freyberg, Falko Ziebert, Arnold C.-M. Yang, Ullrich Steiner, and Günter Reiter |
| Summary: | We have investigated the consequences of physical aging in thin spin-coated glassy polystyrene films through detailed dewetting studies. A simultaneous and equally fast exponential decay of dewetting velocity, width, and height of the rim with aging time was observed, which is related to a reduction of residual stresses within such films. The temperature dependence of these decay times followed an Arrhenius behavior, yielding an activation energy of 70±6 kJ/mol, on the same order of magnitude as values for the β-relaxation of polystyrene and for relaxations of surface topographical features. Our results suggest that rearrangements at the level of chain segments are sufficient to partially relax frozen-in out-of-equilibrium local chain conformations, i.e., the cause of residual stresses, and they might also be responsible for macroscopic relaxations at polymer surfaces. |
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| Item Description: | Gesehen am 27.09.2022 |
| Physical Description: | Online Resource |
| ISSN: | 1079-7114 |
| DOI: | 10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.136102 |