Dynamic mechanical and dielectric relaxations of polystyrene below the glass temperature

Abstract

Abstract Dynamic mechanical and dielectric properties of various kinds of polystyrene, including bulk‐polymerized, monodisperse, isotactic, and thermally degraded samples, have been measured below the glass temperature to 4°K. Five relaxation processes are found, designated β, γ, γ′, δ, and ε in order of descending temperature. The β peak (350°K at 10 kHz) is attributed to the local oscillation mode of backbone chains and the γ′ peak (180°K at 10 kHz) to rotation of phenyl groups. The δ peak (100°K at 10 kHz) is observed only in dielectric properties of the bulk‐polymerized sample and is assigned to weak polar bonds, such as oxygen bonds in the chain. The δ peak (55°K at 10 kHz) which is prominent in dynamic mechanical properties is interpreted in terms of lattice defects due to a syndiotactic diad inserted between isotactic sequences in a chain or vice versa. The ε peak (ca. 25°K at 10 kHz) is first reported in the present work, but the mechanism involved is not yet clear.