title: Collective motion in poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(methylmethacrylate) blends.
abstract: We present neutron spin echo and structural measurements on a perdeuterated miscible polymer blend: poly(ethylene oxide)[PEO]/poly(methyl methacrylate)[PMMA], characterized by a large difference in component glass transition temperatures and minimal interactions. The measurements cover the q range 0.35 to 1.66 A(-1) and the temperature range Tg -75 to Tg +89 K, where Tg is the blend glass transition. The spectra, obtained directly in the time domain, are very broad with stretching parameters beta approximately 0.30. The relaxation times vary considerably over the spatial range considered however at none of the q values do we see two distinct relaxation times. At small spatial scales relaxations are still detectable at temperatures far below Tg. The temperature dependence of these relaxation times strongly resembles the beta-relaxation process observed in pure PMMA.
authors.affiliation: Institute Laue Langevin, POB 156X 38042 Grenoble, France. farago@ill.fr
authors.forename: Bela
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Farago
authors.forename: Chunxia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Janna K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Maranas
authors.forename: Sudesh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kamath
authors.forename: Ralph H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Colby
authors.forename: Anthony J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Pasquale
authors.forename: Timothy E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Long