Conformational rearrangements in interfacial region of polydimethylsiloxane melt films

Synchrotron X-ray reflectivity (XRR) confirms the formation of a quasi-immobilized layer in thin films of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) melts near silica surfaces. This layer (40-60 Å) has a lower density than the bulk value, and its thickness varies slightly with PDMS molecular weight. Formation of this layer is very rapid for PDMS melts with low molecular weights (below entanglement limit for these molecules) but takes 5-10 h for higher molecular weights (close to and above their entanglement value).