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Updated: Dec 12, 2025

Using Microwave and Macroscopic Samples of Dielectric Solids to Study the Photonic Properties of Disordered Photonic Bandgap Materials
Published on: September 26, 2014
Low frequency vibrational density of state of highly permeable super glassy polynorbornenes - the Boson peak
Reiner Zorn1, Paulina Szymoniak, Mohamed A Kolmangadi
1Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS-1) and Institute for Biological Information Processing (IBI-8), 52425 Jülich, Germany.
Abstract:
Inelastic incoherent neutron time-of-flight scattering was employed to measure the low frequency density of states for a series of addition polynorbornenes with bulky side groups. The rigid main chain in combination with the bulky side groups give rise to a microporosity of these polymers in the solid state. The microporosity characterized by the BET surfaces area varies systematically in the considered series. Such materials have some possible application as active separation layer in gas separation membranes. All investigated materials show excess contributions to the Debye type density of states characteristic for glasses known as Boson peak. The maximum position of the Boson peak shifts to lower frequency values with increasing microporosity. Data for PIM-1 and Matrimid included for comparison are in good agreement to this dependency. This result supports the sound wave interpretation of the Boson peak.
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