Cooperativity and Structural Relaxations in PVDF/PMMA Blends in the Presence of MWNTs: An Assessment through SAXS and Dielectric Spectroscopy

Sharma, Maya and Madras, Giridhar and Bose, Suryasarathi (2014) Cooperativity and Structural Relaxations in PVDF/PMMA Blends in the Presence of MWNTs: An Assessment through SAXS and Dielectric Spectroscopy. In: MACROMOLECULES, 47 (4). pp. 1392-1402.

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Abstract

Intermolecular cooperativity and structural relaxations in PVDF/PMMA blends were studied in this work with respect to different surface modified (amine, similar to NH2; carboxyl acid, similar to COOH and pristine) multiwalled nanotubes (MWNTs) at 1 wt % near blend's T-g and in the vicinity of demixing using dielectric spectroscopy, SAXS, DSC, and WAXD. Intermolecular cooperativity at T-g and configurational entropy was addressed in the framework of cooperative rearranging region (CRR) at T-g. Because of specific interactions between PVDF and NH2-MWNTs, the local composition fluctuates at its average value resulting in a broad T-g. The scale of cooperativity (xi(CRR)) and the number of segments in the cooperative volume (N-CRR) is comparatively smaller in the blends with NH2-MWNTs. This clearly suggests that the number of segments cooperatively relaxing is reduced in the blends due to specific interactions leading to more heterogeneity. The configurational entropy at T-g, as derived from Vogel-Fulcher and Adam-Gibbs analysis, was reduced in the blends in presence of MWNTs manifesting in entropic penalty of the chains. The crystallite size and the amorphous miscibility was evaluated using SAXS and was observed to be strongly contingent on the surface functional groups on MWNTs. Three distinct relaxations-alpha(c) due to relaxations in the crystalline phase of PVDF, alpha(m) indicating the amorphous miscibility in PVDF/PMMA blends, and alpha beta concerning the segmental dynamics of PMMA-were observed in the blends in the temperature range T-g < T < T-c. The dynamics as well as the nature of relaxations were observed to be dependent the surface functionality on the MWNTs. The dielectric permittivity was also enhanced in presence of MWNTs, especially with NH2-MWNTs, with minimal losses. The influence of the MWNTs on the spherulite size and crystalline morphology of the blends was also confirmed by POM and SEM.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	MACROMOLECULES
Publisher:	AMER CHEMICAL SOC
Additional Information:	Copyright for this article belongs to the AMER CHEMICAL SOC, USA
Department/Centre:	Division of Mechanical Sciences > Materials Engineering (formerly Metallurgy) Division of Interdisciplinary Sciences > Centre for Nano Science and Engineering
Date Deposited:	15 Apr 2014 06:29
Last Modified:	15 Apr 2014 06:29
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/48855

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