Article

Route to calculate the length scale for the glass transition in polymers.

Donostia International Physics Center, Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal 4, 20018 San Sebastián, Spain.
Physical Review E (impact factor: 2.26). 08/2007; 76(1 Pt 1):011514. pp.011514
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT The occurrence of glass transition is believed to be associated to cooperative motion with a growing length scale with decreasing temperature. We provide a route to calculate the size of cooperatively rearranging regions (CRR) of glass-forming polymers combining the Adam-Gibbs theory of the glass transition with the self-concentration concept. To do so we explore the dynamics of glass-forming polymers in different environments. The material specific parameter alpha connecting the size of the CRR to the configurational entropy is obtained in this way. Thereby, the size of CRR can be precisely quantified in absolute values. This size results to be in the range 1-3nm at the glass transition temperature depending on the glass-forming polymer.

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Keywords

Adam-Gibbs theory
 
calculate
 
configurational entropy
 
cooperatively rearranging regions
 
CRR
 
decreasing temperature
 
different environments
 
glass transition
 
glass transition temperature
 
glass-forming polymer
 
glass-forming polymers
 
growing length scale
 
material specific parameter alpha
 
range 1-3nm
 
self-concentration concept