Relaxation transition temperature

In Sect. 5.2, two characteristic temperatures, T = T, and T = Tb, were shown to be similar to the temperatures of the main 0 and a) relaxation transitions. At the same time, there are many more other minor relaxation transitions in a polymer spectrum, especially for isotropic polymers. As can be seen from Table 4, each relaxation transition temperature, T corresponds to a certain characteristic temperature, T [113]. 

Table 4. A comparison between the charactenshc temperatures, T and the relaxation transitions temperatures, T,...

Polymer Maximum frequencies of Characteristic fundamental vibrations, temperatures, T (K) (cm ) [83, 84] Relaxation transition temperatures T,(K)... 

PVF displays several transitions below the melting temperature. The measured transition temperatures vary with the technique used for measurement. T (L) (lower) occurs at —15 to —20 " C and is ascribed to relaxation free from restraint by crystallites. T (U) (upper) is in the 40 to 50°C range and is associated with amorphous regions under restraint by crystallites (63). Another transition at —80° C has been ascribed to short-chain amorphous relaxation and one at 150°C associated with premelting intracrystalline relaxation. 

Determination of the glass-transition temperature, T, for HDPE is not straightforward due to its high crystallinity (16—18). The glass point is usually associated with one of the relaxation processes in HDPE, the y-relaxation, which occurs at a temperature between —100 and —140° C. The brittle point of HDPE is also close to its y-transition. 

Figure 5 Summary plot of the transition temperatures (lower), inverse of the smectic layer spacing (middle), and temperature of the a relaxation (upper) of polybibenzoates as a function of the number of methylene units in the spacer Ti, [Ref. 9] T, , [Ref. 9] A I/d, [Ref. 7] T T , [Ref. 9] open symbols our results.

Shown in Fig. 4a is the temperature dependence of the relaxation time obtained from the isothermal electrical resistivity measurement for Ni Pt performed by Dahmani et al [31. A prominent feature is the appearance of slowing down phenomenon near transition temperature. As is shown in Fig. 4b [32], our PPM calculation is able to reproduce similar phenomenon, although the present study is attempted to LIq ordered phase for which the transition temperature, T]., is 1.89. One can confirm that the relaxation time, r, increases as approaching to l/T). 0.52. This has been explained as the insufficiency of the thermodynamic driving force near the transition temperature in the following manner. 

The most desirable annealing temperatures for amorphous plastics, certain blends, and block copolymers is just above their glass transition temperature (Tg) where the relaxation of stress and orientation is the most rapid. However, the required temperatures may cause excessive distortion and warping. 

Molecular Motion in amorphous atactic polystyrene (PS) is more complicated and a number of relaxation processes, a through 5 have been detected by various techniques as reviewed recently by Sillescu74). Of course, motions above and below the glass transition temperature Tg have to be treated separately, as well as chain and side group mobility, respectively. Motion well above Tg as well as phenyl motion in the glassy state, involving rapid 180° jumps around their axes to the backbone has been discussed in detail in Ref.17). Here we will concentrate on chain mobility in the vicinity of the glass transition. 

Apparently local motions indicating differences in packing are closely related to the mechanical properties of glassy polymers. One of the puzzling features of the P-relaxation in PC as in other glassy polymers 3 6 76 77) is that it often is suppressed if the glass transition temperature is lowered by adding a plasticizer. The material then becomes brittle, which severely limits the applications of such polymers. Such low... 

The glass transition temperature can be chosen as the reference temperature, though this was not recommended by Williams, Landel, and Ferry, who preferred to use a temperature slightly above T. In order to determine relaxation times, and hence a, use can be made of dynamic mechanical, stress relaxation, or viscosity measurements. 

The WLF equation can be widely applied, and demonstrates the equivalence of time and temperature, the so-called time-temperature superposition principle, on the mechanical relaxations of an amorphous polymer. The equation holds up to about 100° above the glass transition temperature, but after that begins to break down. 

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