Abstract
The dynamic relaxation behavior of a model two‐phase system, poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate)–glass beads, was studied by means of a freely oscillating torsional pendulum. The effect of the filler content on the storage and loss moduli of the composites could be described in terms of the modified Kerner equation in complex form. At temperatures below the glass transition temperature of the matrix, the agreement between experimental and theoretical data was satisfactory after correction for thermally induced stress due to different thermal expansion coefficients of matrix and filler. In the presence of filler, the capacity of the matrix to store and dissipate energy increases, but the character of molecular motions underlying the dispersions observed is preserved because the temperature of the dispersions remains unchanged. The effect of water on the dynamic relaxation behavior of composites is primarily reflected in changes in the shape of the temperature dependence of the dissipating capacity of the matrix. The data allow the conclusion to be drawn that the chain mobility at the interphase boundary does not decrease and that no additional frictional mechanisms appear.