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We perform molecular dynamics simulations of an idealized polymer meltsurrounding a nanoscopic filler particle to probe the effects of a filler onthe local melt structure and dynamics. We show that the glass transitiontemperature $T_g$ of the melt can be shifted to either higher or lowertemperatures by appropriately tuning the interactions between polymer andfiller. A gradual change of the polymer dynamics approaching the filler surfacecauses the change in the glass transition. We also find that while the bulkstructure of the polymers changes little, the polymers close to the surfacetend to be elongated and flattened, independent of the type of interaction westudy. Consequently, the dynamics appear strongly influenced by theinteractions, while the melt structure is only altered by the geometricconstraints imposed by the presence of the filler. Our findings show a strongsimilarity to those obtained for ultra-thin polymer films (thickness $\lesssim100$ nm) suggesting that both ultra-thin films and filled-polymer systems mightbe understood in the same context

Effects of a nanoscopic filler on the structure and dynamics of a simulated polymer melt and the relationship to ultrathin films