Impact of Molecular Architecture on Dynamics of Miktoarm Star Polymers

Broadband dielectric spectroscopy is employed to investigate the impact of morphology and architecture on dynamics of a systematic series of poly (styrene-b-cis 1,4-isoprene) miktoarm star copolymers. While no change in the spectral shapes and mean rates of segmental relaxation is observed with variation of the number of arms and chain composition for all the samples probed, systematic broadening of the distribution of microscopic chain relaxation times is found for architecturally complex polymers. These results will be discussed within the framework of some recent theories and models of polymer dynamics in architecturally complex systems.