[Seminar] P3S Webinar: Polymer Nanocomposites

P3S Webinar by Institute of Physics, MLU
Thursday, September 17th, 2020, 4 pm CEST

The online meeting takes places via zoom. More information: http://www.physik.uni-halle.de/fachgruppen/nmr/p3s-webinar/upcoming-p3s-webinars/


Prof. Dr. Alexei Sokolov
U Tennessee, Knoxville
Designing Polymer Nanocomposites: Critical Role of the Interfacial Layer

In this talk we overview recent studies on structure and dynamics of the interfacial layer in various polymer nanocomposites (PNCs). We employ broad array of experimental techniques and MD-simulations that provide detailed characterization of the interfacial layer. These studies revealed a gradient in the interfacial layer dynamics, but no “glassy” or “dead“  layer. The thickness of the interfacial layer increases upon cooling to Tg, and depends strongly on polymer rigidity, increasing from ~2nm in flexible polymers to ~5 nm in more rigid ones. We discuss a possible connection of the interfacial layer thickness to the dynamic heterogeneity length scale. We emphasize usually overlooked dynamic property of the interfacial layer – strong suppression of the amplitude of structural relaxation on time scale of segmental dynamics. At the end, we present a general picture how microscopic parameters control the interfacial layer, and how by tuning the interfacial layer we can tune macroscopic properties of polymer nanocomposites.

Prof. Dr. Linda Reven
McGill U, Montreal
Liquid Crystal Polymer Nanocomposites

Inorganic nanoparticles and polymers are being combined  with liquid crystals to both understand the effect of these additives on  liquid crystal properties and to create new hybrid materials.This  lecture will give an overview of our past and current studies, focusing  on the role of the polymer chain flexibility in producing stable  dispersions versus controlled phase separations.