Abstract
In this paper we introduce and apply the method for determination of the glass transition temperature of the sub-100 nm thick freestanding and supported polymer films based on thermally assisted atomic force microscopy (AFM). In proposed approach changes of the phase of an oscillating AFM cantilever are used to determine glass transition temperature. An anomalous decrease of the glass transition temperature for both free-standing and supported azobenzene-functionalized polymer thin films is shown.
Highlights
Azobenzene-functionalized polymers are one of the most promising materials in polymer photonics and organic electronics
Photoinduced alignment of the azo-dyes in glassy polymers is affected by the thickness of a polymer thin film, since the glass transition temperature Tg critically drops when the film thickness decreases.[12]
The integrity and thermal stability of the oriented state of polymer thin films are greatly sensitive to the glass transition temperature, at which an intrinsic structure of the polymer changes from a hard disordered solid to a rubber-like bulk
Summary
Azobenzene-functionalized polymers are one of the most promising materials in polymer photonics and organic electronics. The integrity and thermal stability of the oriented state of polymer thin films are greatly sensitive to the glass transition temperature, at which an intrinsic structure of the polymer changes from a hard disordered solid to a rubber-like bulk This influences on the increased mobility of a surface layer that underlies the most observable photo-induced effects in the azopolymers. There are many methods for determining the glass transition temperature of bulk amorphous and liquid crystalline polymers such as differential scanning calorimetry[15], dynamic mechanical analysis[16], Raman scattering[17], Brillouin scattering[18] and others Most of these methods have a low sensitivity to the sub-100 nm thick polymer films. We determine the glass transition temperature of freestanding and supported azo-polymer films using thermal assisted atomic force microscopy
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