Thermodynamics of The Glass Transition

Dinghai Huang

Measurement of the Heat Capacity of the Glass-forming Poly(alpha-methyl styrene) far below the Kauzmann Temperature: Where is the Second Order Thermodynamic Phase Transition?

Huang, Dinghai

We measured the absolute heat capacity of poly(alpha-methyl styrene) and mixtures with its pentamer use step-scan DSC. The heat capacity is found independent of concentration in the measured temperature range. Extrapolation to 100% polymer yielded the equilibrium liquid heat capacity for the polymer. There is no evidence of second order thermodynamic transition even at temperature as much as 180 K below Tg.

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* JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS 119 (7),3590-3593

Funding

National Science Foundation