103b On the Equivalence of Glass Transition Temperatures In Polymer Nanocomposites and Polymer Thin Films

Venkat Ganesan1, Jamie Kropka1, and Victor Pryamitsyn2. (1) Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station, Code C0400, Austin, TX 78712, (2) Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station, Code C0400, Austin, TX 78712

Motivated by recent experiments, we examine within a percolation model whether there is a quantitative equivalence in the glass transition temperatures ($T_g$) of polymer thin films and polymer nanocomposites (PNCs). Our results indicate that while the qualitative behaviors of these systems are similar, a quantitative equivalence cannot be established in general. However, we propose a phenomenological scaling collapse of our results which suggests a simple framework by which the results of the thin films may be used to quantitatively predict the properties of PNCs.