The application of the energy landscape model to polymers

The energy landscape model of the glass transition has received increasing attention, due to its potential for providing a thermodynamic interpretatio n of the dynamics of glass-forming liquids. Herein, the idea that the tempe rature-dependence of the dynamics near the glass temperature ("fragility") can be related to thermodynamic properties is tested for polymers. Previous ly, for several homologous series, we found deviations from a proposed corr elation between fragility and the heat capacity increment at the glass temp erature. A survey of 17 polymers likewise indicates no correlation between these two quantities. More recently, the landscape approach to the dynamics of glass-formers was extended to a proposal that fragility can be determin ed a priori from thermodynamic information. However, for the 11 polymers fo r which sufficient thermodynamic and relaxation data were available, we fin d that thermodynamic properties bear no relationship to fragility. Thus, it appears that the status of the glass transition as an important unsolved p roblem in condensed matter physics remains intact. [S0021-9606(99)51136-7].