Local Polymer Dynamics in Polymer−C₆₀ Mixtures

Abstract

The complexity of intermolecular interactions in polymer-nanoparticle systems leads to spatial variations in structure and dynamics at both the meso- and nanoscale. Much of this behavior is manifested in properties such as the glass transition and the viscosity. Incoherent neutron scattering measurements of C60-polymer mixtures reveal that local polymer chain backbone motions in the glassy state are suppressed relative to those of the pure polymer. Moreover, the scattering spectrum of the melt suggests that the influence of C60 on polymer dynamics is limited to the vicinity of the particles at nanosecond time scales. A model is presented to reconcile these observations with the bulk dynamical properties exhibited by the mixtures.