PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

E Laredo

Publications and source records attributed to E Laredo.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Molecular dynamics in nanophase-separated comb-like poly(alpha-n-alkyl beta-L-aspartate)s.

A series of poly(alpha-n-alkyl beta-L-aspartates) which are nanophase self-assembled comb-like polymers has been studied by dielectric spectroscopy in a broad frequency range (10(-2) < or = nu < or = 3 x 10(6) Hz), with n-alkyls side chains of various lengths, 10 < or = n < or =18. In every member of the series the same relaxations were identified after the decomposition of the experimental isothermal trace in up to three peaks with relaxation times distributions. The strength, width and average relaxation time for all the relaxation modes were determined for each material. Besides the local low temperature, Arrhenius modes, two relaxation modes, alpha and alpha(PE), present a cooperative character whose dynamics are not affected by the side chains melting. The alpha(PE) relaxation is a polyethylene-like glass transition of the amorphous side chains and its dynamics is strongly dependent on the n value due to the increasing restrictions imposed by the self-assembled confinement. The strength of the alpha(PE) relaxation mode increases as the lateral chains loose their 2D order. The restricted chopstick motion of the rigid rods is thought to be the origin of the alpha mode; this motion is hindered at temperatures where the cage size decreases as a result of the increasing disorder with temperature.

Aspartic Acid↗
PubMed2002

Local and segmental dynamics in homopolymer and triblock copolymers with one semicrystalline block.

Thermally stimulated depolarization currents, TSDC, experiments have been performed on a series of poly(styrene)-b-poly(butadiene)-b-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) triblock copolymers SBC with different proportions of the poly(epsilon-caprolactone) crystallizable block, PCL. The morphology of the segregated microphases varies with the PCL content and has been observed by transmission electron microscopy. The crystallinity of the PCL block is estimated by wide angle x-ray scattering, WAXS. The relaxation times distribution is extracted by a numerical decomposition of the TSDC spectra and it is shown that this distribution is not significantly changed on going from the homopolymer to the triblock copolymer with 16 wt % to 77 wt % of PCL in the original samples. Better segregation of the mesophase structure is reached when the samples are annealed at 413 K and important variations in the TSDC and WAXS spectra are observed as a result of the thermal treatment. For the S09B14C77 triblock copolymer the results obtained can be explained by postulating the existence of a rigid amorphous phase in the PCL block. Such rigid amorphous phase is located between the core-shell cylinders formed by the other blocks [with poly(styrene)(PS) as core and poly(butadiene)(PB) as shell] and is constrained by undulated lamellae of crystalline PCL material. In the case of S35B15C50 triblock copolymer, an important amount of diffuse PS-PCL interphase where the homopolymers are mixed must be present before annealing. The results for the material with the less abundant PCL block are explained as a result of the confinement in nanotubes of PCL surrounded by PB embedded in a vitreous PS matrix. Broadband dielectric experiments on these same materials confirm the results obtained by TSDC spectroscopy.

Journal Article↗