A mode-coupling theory catastrophe scenario description of relaxations in semicrystalline nylons

Abstract

In the conception of mode-coupling theory the liquid - glass transition is due to topological singularities (mathematical catastrophes) in a system's parameter space. It is shown that previously published dielectric relaxation data for a number of semicrystalline polymers (polyalanine, polyglycine, nylon 3 and nylon 4) exhibit the characteristic signatures for an -singularity: inflection points, linear regions in , 1/f noise regions, as well as a double minimum. Besides agreeing qualitatively with mode-coupling theory predictions, the data can also be described quantitatively with the -scenario.