Abstract
The dynamic behavior of water molecules and polymer chains in a hydrated poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix containing a small amount of water molecules was investigated. Water molecules have been widely recognized as plasticizers for activating the segmental motion of polymer chains owing to their ability to reduce the glass transition temperature. In this study, combined with judicious hydrogen/deuterium labeling, we conducted quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS) experiments on PMMA for its dry and hydrated states. Our results clearly indicate that the dynamics of hydrated polymer chains are accelerated, and that individual water molecules are slower than bulk water. It is therefore suggested that the hydration water affects the local motion of PMMA and activates the local relaxation process known as restricted rotation, which is widely accepted to be generally insensitive to changes in the microenvironment.
Highlights
It is expected that the amount of polymer materials suitable for medical diagnosis and treatment will continue to increase in the coming years
During the quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS) measurements of the dry hPMMA and hPMMA/D2O samples, protons were only included in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), so that the QENS signals mainly originated from the dynamics of the PMMA chains
We focused on the dynamic behavior of water in the vicinity of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), which is a typical glassy polymer with a low water solubility
Summary
It is expected that the amount of polymer materials suitable for medical diagnosis and treatment will continue to increase in the coming years. Several QENS measurements have been performed to examine the dynamic behavior of hydration water in the vicinity of biocompatible materials (Colmenero and Arbe, 2013). We report QENS results for mixtures of water and PMMA carried out from low to physiological temperature to estimate the activation energy of the local motion of PMMA.
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