Relaxation dynamics of glass transition in PMMA + SWCNT composites by temperature-modulated DSC

The experimental technique offered by temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimeter (TMDSC) used to investigate the thermal relaxation dynamics through the glass transition as a function of frequency was studied for pure PMMA and PMMA-single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) composites. A strong dependence of the temperature dependence peak in the imaginary part of complex heat capacity (Tmax) is found during the transition from the glass-like to the liquid-like region. The frequency dependence of Tmax of the imaginary part of heat capacity (Cp) is described by Arrhenius law. The activation energy obtained from the fitting shows increases while the characteristic relaxation time decreases with increasing mass fraction (φm) of SWCNTs. The dynamics of the composites during glass transition, at slow and high scan rates, are also the main focus of this experimental study. The change in enthalpy during heating and cooling is also reported as a function of scan rate and frequency of temperature modulation. The glass transition temperature (Tg) shows increases with increasing frequency of temperature modulation and φm of SWCNTs inside the polymer host. Experimental results show that Tg is higher at higher scan rates but as the frequency of temperature modulation increases, the Tg values of different scan rates coincide with each other and alter the scan rate dependence. From the imaginary part of heat capacity, it is obvious that Tmax is not the actual glass transition temperature of pure polymer but Tmax and Tg values can be superimposed when φm increases in the polymer host or when the sample undergoes a transition with a certain frequency of temperature modulation.