Glass transition reductions in thin freely-standing polymer films: A scaling analysis of chain confinement effects

In this paper we present a new analysis of data on the reduced glass transitions observed in thin freely-standing films. The empirical analysis presented is highly suggestive of the existence of a mechanism of mobility in thin freely-standing films that is inhibited in the bulk and distinct from the usual cooperative motion near the glass transition temperature Tg. A tentative mechanism for Tg reductions in thin freely-standing films is discussed.