Effect of stretching on the sub-Tg phenylene-ring dynamics of polycarbonate by neutron scattering

Abstract

We have investigated the effect of cold drawing on the motion of phenylene rings in bisphenol-A polycarbonate by neutron scattering. The intensity scattered by isotropic and stretched polycarbonate is different, the quasielastic broadening being larger for the isotropic sample. This difference can be well accounted for by considering that preferentially oriented rings in the stretched polymer have their motion sterically hindered. The extent of the effect of stretching on the phenylene-ring motion obtained from this neutron-scattering investigation is in good agreement with that obtained when studying the effect of cold drawing on the γ relaxation by dielectric spectroscopy.