Localized translational motions in semicrystalline poly(ethylene terephthalate) studied by incoherent quasielastic neutron scattering.

One of the simplest ways to confine polymeric materials is by self-assembling during the crystallization process. The remaining amorphous phase is then constrained by the lamellar crystals. In this manuscript, we aim to shed additional light in the understanding of the amorphous chains dynamics of semicrystalline polymers above the T-g by using incoherent quasielastic neutron scattering QENS in a nanoscopic time scale (10(-9)-10(-10) s) on poly(ethylene terephthalate). The observed dynamics is satisfactorily described by a theoretical model that considers that the proton mobility follows a random jump-diffusion in a restricted environment. We demonstrate that the combination of macroscopic with nanoscopic dynamic tools allows a complete description of the confined dynamics on a paradigmatic semicrystalline polymer like poly(ethylene terephthalate).