Novel experimental methods and modeling of solvent induced glass transition and structural relaxation in polymers

While glass transition and glassy dynamics, i.e. slow non-stationary dynamics occurring in amorphous solids, have been studied for long, they are still deemed to be grand challenges for science research, as well as strategic topics for technological advancement. This thesis reports scientific activities entirely devoted to the development of novel tools for advanced characterization of the glassy state, which is intended to support further work capable of knowledge improvement. The work focuses on the effects of solvent sorption in glassy dynamics, improvement of current experimental sorption analysis, but also on the relationship between sorption experiments and other classic techniques performed on dry glasses. The efforts aim at simplifying and promoting cross-analysis, and suggest wet experiments as tools for a comprehensive understanding of glassy structure. After a general and straightforward review of theories and experimental methods, novel investigation techniques and related experimental equipment are described. Special attention is given to a simple polymer-solvent system used as a model for setting up the experimental procedure, which showed complex behavior, and measured data resulted fresh enough to be reported in several national and international conferences and publications. Very topical systems as colloidal glass-formers are also subject of this work, for what concern the experimental activity carried out in the framework of an exciting period of study abroad, spent in Texas. Also in this case, productive efforts were devoted to equipment design and set up, and relevant results were obtained through the new procedure.