Methyl group dynamics in a confined glass.
We present a neutron scattering investigation on methyl group dynamics in glassy toluene confined in mesoporous silicates of different pore sizes. The experimental results have been analysed in terms of a barrier distribution model, such a distribution following from the structural disorder in the glassy state. Confinement results in a strong decreasing of the average rotational barrier in comparison to the bulk state. We have roughly separated the distribution for the confined state in a bulk-like and a surface-like contribution, corresponding to rotors at a distance from the pore wall respectively larger and smaller than the spatial range of the interactions which contribute to the rotational potential for the methyl groups. We have estimated a distance of 7 A as a lower limit of the interaction range, beyond the typical nearest-neighbour distance between centers-of-mass (4.7 A).
Moreno
A J
AJ
Laboratoire des Verres, CNRS-UMR 5587, Université de Montpellier II, Bâtiment 13, 34095 Montpellier, France. moreno@ldv.univ-montp2.fr
Colmenero
J
J
Alegría
A
A
Alba-Simionesco
C
C
Dosseh
G
G
Morineau
D
D
Frick
B
B