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Holographic grating relaxation technique for soft matter science

Journal Article · · AIP Conference Proceedings
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4954340· OSTI ID:22609116
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [2]
  1. Institute of Physical Chemistry, Albertstraße 21, Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Stefan-Meier-Str. 31, Albert-Ludwigs Universität, Freiburg im Breisgau 79104 (Germany)
  2. ITMO University, Kronverksky prospekt 49, Saint-Petersburg 197101 (Russian Federation)

The holographic grating relaxation technique also known as forced Rayleigh scattering consists basically in writing a holographic grating in the specimen of interest and monitoring its diffraction efficiency as a function of time, from which valuable information on mass or heat transfer and photoinduced transformations can be extracted. In a more detailed view, the shape of the relaxation curve and the relaxation rate as a function of the grating period were found to be affected by the architecture of diffusing species (molecular probes) that constitute the grating, as well as that of the environment they diffuse in, thus making it possible to access and study spatial heterogeneity of materials and different modes of e.g., polymer motion. Minimum displacements and spatial domains approachable by the technique are in nanometer range, well below spatial periods of holographic gratings. In the present paper, several cases of holographic relaxation in heterogeneous media and complex motions are exemplified. Nano- to micro-structures or inhomogeneities comparable in spatial scale with holographic gratings manifest themselves in relaxation experiments via non-exponential decay (stepwise or stretched), spatial-period-dependent apparent diffusion coefficient, or unusual dependence of diffusion coefficient on molecular volume of diffusing probes.

OSTI ID:
22609116
Journal Information:
AIP Conference Proceedings, Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 1748; ISSN APCPCS; ISSN 0094-243X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English