6533b7defe1ef96bd1276584
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Three-step decay of time correlations at polymer-solid interfaces
Wolfgang PaulPeter VirnauKurt BinderLeonid Yelashsubject
Condensed Matter::Soft Condensed MatterLength scaleMaterials scienceCondensed matter physicsScale (ratio)Critical phenomenaDegrees of freedom (physics and chemistry)Radius of gyrationIncoherent scatterGeneral Physics and AstronomyRelaxation (physics)Glass transitiondescription
Two-step decay of relaxation functions, i.e., time scale separation between microscopic dynamics and structural relaxation, is the defining signature of the structural glass transition. We show that for glass-forming polymer melts at an attractive surface slow desorption kinetics introduces an additional time scale separation among the relaxational degrees of freedom leading to a three-step decay. The inherent length scale of this process is the radius of gyration in contrast to the segmental scale governing the glass transition. We show how the three-step decay can be observed in incoherent scattering experiments and discuss its relevance for the glass transition of confined polymers by analogy to surface critical phenomena.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-04-01 | EPL (Europhysics Letters) |