6.1.1.

Establishment of Relationships between a Polymers

Configuration, Dynamic Properties, and Applications
The dynamics and energetics of a polymer can be explored by monitoring
structure - or composition - dependent changes in parameters (shape, position,
strength, etc.) characteristic of the glass transition and various secondary
signals. At the same time, the time, temperature, or pressure dependences of
properties related to translational motions of charges (DC conductivity, ion
mobility, trap energy depths, etc.) are sensitive to the diversity of the environ
ment provided by the polymer chains and the bonding state of the pertinent
ions. Several of these parameters can be used to appraise perturbations in the
strength of inter - and intramolecular interactions of a dipolar or ionic nature.
This information is fundamental in many areas of materials science, including
pharmaceutical science [e.g., for controlled drug delivery (Craig 1995 )] and
specialized applications in biochemistry and biophysics (body fluid hydromet
allurgy, protein stability, hydrophobic hydration, etc.). Interesting examples of
dielectric studies on liquids, liquid crystals, biopolymers, blends, copolymers,
and composites, can be found in excellent reference books [e.g., Runt (1997) ;
Kremer and Schnhals (2002) ].
6.1.2. Information on Surface and Bulk Properties in
Confining Environments
Dielectric techniques have proved particularly effective in the study of polymer
dynamics at interfaces and in confining geometries [polymers in ultrathin films
or within nanometric pores of oxide glasses, polymer in the galleries of clays,
etc. (Kalogeras 2008 )] because of their enhanced sensitivity with decreasing
size scale and the broad dynamic range, with an unparalleled range of fre
quency and temperature (Kremer et al. 2003 ; Hartmann et al. 2002 ). Probing
nanoconfinement - induced effects in the segmental relaxation dynamics of the