Structural recovery of a single polystyrene thin film using Flash DSC at low aging temperatures

摘要

The structural recovery of a single polystyrene thin film is studied using Flash differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for aging temperatures ranging from 50.5 to 100.5 degrees C and for aging times of up to 18,000 s (300 min). A high fictive temperature glass with T-f' = 117.0 +/- 0.5 degrees C, obtained after cooling at 1000 K/s, is employed in this study. Structural recovery is investigated by monitoring the evolution of the fictive temperature, T-f, which initially remains unchanged and then decreases smoothly and approximately linearly with logarithmic aging time. Equilibrium is reached when T-f = T-a at the highest aging temperatures. The length of the initial plateau is longer for the lower aging temperatures and is related to the increase in the relaxation time with decreasing temperature along the glass line, increasing approximately one decade for every 21 K. This temperature dependence yields a normalized apparent activation energy (E-a/R) of approximately 13 kK for the mobility along the glass line. On the other hand, the apparent activation energy for the mobility along the liquid line is 102 kK. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.