Dielectric properties of liquid-crystal azomethine polymer with a side alkyl-substituted chain, doped with fullerene C60

Abstract

We studied the actual and imaginary components of the dielectric constant of liquid-crystal azomethine polymer with a side chain, doped with 0.5 wt % of fullerene C₆₀, over a wide range of temperatures and frequencies; measurements were made by means of dielectric spectroscopy. By analyzing the frequency dependence of the dielectric constant, we detected the relaxation processes (α, β₁, and β₂) in the nanocomposite, corresponding to certain modes of molecular motion and described them by the Arrhenius equations (β₁- and β₂-processes) and the Vogel–Fulcher–Tamman equation (α-process). An antiplasticization effect is discovered after doping the polymer with fullerene C₆₀, which manifests itself in increasing the glass transition temperature of the nanocomposite compared to this parameter typical of pure polymer.