Effect of nanoparticle dispersion on glass transition in thin films of polymer nanocomposites

We present spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements on thin films of polymer nanocomposites consisting of gold nanoparticles embedded in poly(styrene). The temperature dependence of thickness variation is used to estimate the glass transition temperature, T(g). In these thin films we find a significant dependence of T(g) on the nature of dispersion of the embedded nanoparticles. Our work thus highlights the crucial role played by the particle polymer interface morphology in determining the glass transition in particular and thermo-mechanical properties of such nanocomposite films.