Confinement effects on the molecular dynamics of polymers with special architectures

• Applicants: Dr. Klaus-Jochen Eichhorn; Professor Dr. Friedrich Kremer
• Subject Area: Polymer Materials
• Term: from 2006 to 2012
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 18141116

There is a twofold motivation to investigate confinement effects on the molecular dynamics in thin films of polymers having special architectures, i.e. dendritic polymers. Technologically, these materials promise potential applications, a special interest being reported to use them as thin films. Concomitantly, this project is intended to contribute to the basic understanding of the role of the macromolecular architecture in the dynamics of polymeric systems. A special emphasis is put on the investigation of the confinement-induced deviations of the dynamic glass transition from its bulk behaviour. Two aspects are addressed in this respect: (i) what role plays the macromolecular architecture in the dynamics of confined polymers; (ii) to what extent different methods to investigate the glass transition provide comparable results when applied to thin films. Polymeric systems having different branched architectures will be synthesized, modified, characterised and used, further, for the preparation of thin films. Their physical structure and chemical composition, surface morphology, refractive index, surface properties (surface energy and charge, wetting) will be examined in dependence on the film thickness. Complementary measurements by Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy, dilatometry, AC-calorimetry, spectroscopic ellipsometry and temperature dependent Fourier Transform Infra-red Spectroscopy (FTIR) will be carried-out to investigate the confinement effects on the dynamics of hyperbranched polymers in thin films.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants