Dielectric study of side-chain liquid crystalline polyazomethine/fullerene C60 nanocomposite

Abstract

For side-chain liquid crystalline polyazomethine/fullerene C60 nanocomposite (C60 loading is 0.25 wt%), both real and imaginary components of the dielectric permittivity were investigated in wide regions of temperature and frequency. Analysis of frequency dependent permittivity allowed finding three relaxations (α, β1 and β2) in the nanocomposite. They were attributed to specific modes of molecular mobility. β-relaxations were described with the Arrhenius equation, whereas α-relaxation was described with the Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann equation. Anti-plasticization effect of the C60 doping was shown to be manifested as an increase of the glass transition temperature of the nanocomposite as compared with that of the neat polymer.