title: Effect of surface freezing on meniscus relaxation in side chain comb polymers.
abstract: We have observed a sharp slowing down of the relaxation of the liquid meniscus for poly(n-alkyl acrylate) at temperatures where there are no abrupt changes in bulk viscosity or surface tension. This slowing down is due to the formation of a surface-ordered monolayer above the bulk melting temperatures. X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy measurements reveal that the surface capillary fluctuations are also significantly slower due to the formation of the ordered monolayer for film thicknesses comparable to that of the precursor films. The slowing down of the precursor film dynamics is responsible for slower meniscus relaxation below the surface ordering transition temperature.
authors.affiliation: Department of Polymer Science, The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio 44325, USA.
authors.forename: Shishir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Prasad
authors.forename: Zhang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sprung
authors.forename: Sunil K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Sinha
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dhinojwala