Colloid and Polymer Science

, Volume 294, Issue 2, pp 471–478 | Cite as

On the nature of enhanced segmental mobility at entangled amorphous polymers interfaces

Short Communication
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Abstract

The long-range segmental mobility at symmetric polymer–polymer interfaces and in the polymer bulk has been compared by employing the adhesion approach and differential scanning calorimetry, respectively, by the example of the nascent and vacuum-dried powders of an entangled random-coiled ultra-high-molecular-weight polystyrene (UHMWPS) with a molecular weight of 106 g/mol. It has been shown that the depression in the surface glass transition temperature of UHMWPS with respect to its bulk glass transition temperature cannot be explained by plasticisation of a near-surface nanometre-thick layer via the surface segregation of the solvent and/or monomer residues. Driving forces of the enhanced long-range segmental mobility in ultrathin polymer layers have been discussed.

Keywords

Polystyrene Glass transition temperature Interface Bulk 
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Notes

Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Project 13-03-00634/14).

Compliance with ethical standards

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Laboratory of Physics of StrengthIoffe Physical-Technical InstituteSt. PetersburgRussia

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