Macromolecules, Vol.43, No.8, 3903-3910, 2010
Glass Transitions, Segmental Dynamics, and Friction Coefficients for Individual Polymers in Multicomponent Polymer Systems by Chain-Level Experiments
Chain-level details about the behavior of pure PI (polyisoprene) and pure PVE (polyvinyl-ethylene), versus their behavior in the miscible blend with one another, are investigated using chain-specific solid-state NMR experiments over a wide temperature range. The PI/PVE blend is a well-known miscible blend, and we compare previous results to those obtained from the experimental strategy we have recently developed (for evaluating miscibility and configurational entropy in saturated polyolefin blends, e.g., Macromolecules 2008, 41, 2832 and Macromolecules 2007, 40, 5433), which employs variable-temperature solid-state magic-angle spinning CODEX NMR experiments to provide chain-specific information for either component in the blend. Even though the PI/PVE blend is miscible, we experimentally verify that the effective glass transitions for each chain type are inequivalent in the blend, and slow segmental dynamics for each polymer in the blend are characterized by unique central correlation times and correlation time distributions. Quantitative analysis of the raw data from the variable-temperature solid-state CODEX NMR methodology indicates that good agreement exists between effective T-g's, central correlation time constants, correlation time distributions, and friction coefficients extracted from this approach versus those obtained by other methods. That such quantitative information may be obtained for either polymer component in an amorphous mixture, without isotopic labeling, electric dipole moment constraints, or introduction of probe molecules, is a unique advantage of this experimental strategy and illustrates applicability to a wide range of mixed macromolecular systems beyond miscible blends, including polymer nanocomposites, organic/inorganic hybrids, biological macromolecules, and block copolymers.