Light scattering and dielectric relaxation studies of glass forming liquids

Extended Abstract: Glass forming organic liquids and polymers exhibit long range density fluctuations with correlation length ξ in the range of 10–300 nm at temperatures above T_g (1 - 6). This follows from dynamic and static light scattering experiments revealing some unexpected features, which cannot be explained on the basis of conventional liquid state theories: (i) In static light scattering the intensity I(q → 0) is no longer proportional to the isothermal compressibility, (ii) This excess scattering I_exc shows a strong q-dependence (q = (4π/Λ.)sin(θ/2)) corresponding to a correlation length ξ in the above mentioned range, (iii) The Landau-Placzek ratio I_Rayleigh/2I_Brillouin is much too high compared with the results of light scattering theories, (iv) In photon correlation spectroscopy a new ultraslow hydrodynamic mode (Γ ˜ q²) is detected with relaxation rates Γ about 10⁻⁶ to 10⁻⁹ lower than those of the α-process at a given temperature. In order to explain these observations, a two-state fluid model is proposed, which starts from the coexistence of “liquid-like” and “aperiodic solid-like” regions within the liquids. Such ideas have been discussed many times before, so for example A.R. Ubbelohde (7) speculates about “anticrystalline” clusters in liquids. Molecular dynamics simulations of atomic liquids showed that long range orientational fluctuations appear upon supercooling (8). A preferred icosahedral ordering is observed (9) and the number of icosahedral clusters increases with decreasing temperature (10). In connection with the interpretation of the dynamics of supercooled liquids different “two-state” models have been proposed (11 - 15). For the explanation of the light scattering results we propose that the molecules in the different dynamic states (“liquid” or “solid”) aggregate during annealing of the liquid at temperatures above T_g. Experiments showed that the equilibration times can be rather long (3 - 5), but nevertheless the liquids exhibiting long range density fluctuations are in the state of lowest free energy. We claim that our observations are the first experimental proof of the existence of such different dynamic states, which have been discussed many times before. The extended secondary clusters can also be detected by ultra small angle X-ray scattering.     

Relaxation time dispersions in glass forming metallic liquids and glasses

Relaxation time dispersions in glass forming metallic liquids of diverse fragility characters were reviewed mainly based on mechanical relaxations. The compilation of the stretching exponents revealed the common nonexponential dynamic features among the metallic liquids. The time-temperature-superposition law of the relaxation profiles was identified with an average stretching exponent around 0.5 at low frequency regions near the glass transitions. No notable correlation of the stretching parameter with alloy composition was discerned. The construction of the frequency dependence of the stretching exponent across the whole range of liquid dynamics revealed a striking similarity of the nonexponential dynamics between metallic and fragile molecular liquids.     

Temperature dependence of the Landau-Placzek ratio in glass forming liquids

Here, we studied Rayleigh-Brillouin light scattering in ten different glass-forming liquids (α-picoline, toluene, o-toluidine, ethanol, salol, glycerol, dibutyl phthalate, o-terphenyl, propylene carbonate, and propylene glycol). For each of these liquids it was found that the Landau-Placzek ratio is in a good agreement with the theory at high temperatures and significantly exceeds the theoretical prediction below a certain temperature. Transition between the two temperature regimes occurs near T(A), where T(A) is crossover point from an Arrhenius-like to a non-Arrhenius behavior for the α-relaxation time dependence on temperature. Increase of the Landau-Placzek ratio relative to the theoretical prediction below T(A) seems to be the universal feature of glass-formers. We suggest that formation of locally favored structures in liquids below T(A) causes observed excess of the Landau-Placzek ratio.     

Thermodynamics of viscous flow and elasticity of glass forming liquids in the glass transition range

The elastic moduli of glasses from different chemical systems, including oxide, chalcogenide, oxynitride, and metallic, were investigated through the glass transition (T(g)), typically from 0.4 to 1.3 T(g). These data were used to interpret the temperature sensitivity of the shear viscosity coefficient obtained on the same materials. The relevant Gibbs free activation energy was estimated from the apparent heat of flow by means of the temperature dependence of the shear elastic modulus. The activation entropy associated with the viscous flow was also derived and was found to correlate with the fragile versus strong character of the glass forming liquids. Finally, the physicochemistry of the flow process was described on the basis of the glass network de-structuration which shows up through the temperature dependence of Poisson's ratio, and an expression for the shear viscosity coefficient is proposed which is chiefly based on the high temperature elastic behavior.     

Dynamic light scattering in mixed alkali metaphosphate glass forming liquids

We report the first ever photon correlation spectroscopy performed on single alkali and mixed alkali metaphosphate glasses at refractory temperatures above the glass transition. We find not only a significant decrease in the glass transition temperature but also a decrease in fragility for the mixed alkali composition as compared with the single akali glasses. We argue that structural relaxation in these polymeric oxide glasses is largely controlled by the cross linking cations and that the changes in fragility that we observed are a reflection of changes in the cooperativity of structural relaxation wrought by the substantial decrease in the ion mobility that accompanies the mixing of alkali ions.     

Analysis of thermodynamic behaviour of bulk metallic glass forming melts and glass forming ability

The thermodynamic behaviour of bulk metallic glass (BMG) forming melts have been studied by analyzing the temperature dependence of the Gibbs free energy difference (∆G), entropy difference (∆S) and enthalpy difference (∆H)between the undercooled melt and the corresponding equilibrium solid phases. The study is made by calculating∆G, ∆S and ∆H in the entire temperature range T _m (melting temperature) to T _g (glass transition temperature) using the expressions obtained on the basis of Taylor’s series expansion. The entire analysis is made for La-based five samples of BMGs; La₅₅Al₂₅Ni_20, La₅₅Al₂₅Ni₁₅Cu₅, La₅₅Al₂₅Ni₁₀Cu₁₀, La₅₅Al₂₅Ni₅Cu_15, and La₅₅Al₂₅Ni₅Cu₁₀Co₅ and a comparative study is also performed between present results and results obtained in the framework of expressions proposed by earlier workers. An attempt has also been made to study the glass forming ability for BMGs.     

The new insight into dynamic crossover in glass forming liquids from the apparent enthalpy analysis

One of the most intriguing phenomena in glass forming systems is the dynamic crossover (T(B)), occurring well above the glass temperature (T(g)). So far, it was estimated mainly from the linearized derivative analysis of the primary relaxation time τ(T) or viscosity η(T) experimental data, originally proposed by Stickel et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 104, 2043 (1996); J. Chem. Phys. 107, 1086 (1997)]. However, this formal procedure is based on the general validity of the Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann equation, which has been strongly questioned recently [T. Hecksher et al. Nature Phys. 4, 737 (2008); P. Lunkenheimer et al. Phys. Rev. E 81, 051504 (2010); J. C. Martinez-Garcia et al. J. Chem. Phys. 134, 024512 (2011)]. We present a qualitatively new way to identify the dynamic crossover based on the apparent enthalpy space (H(a) (')=dlnτ/d(1/T)) analysis via a new plot lnH(a) (') vs. 1∕T supported by the Savitzky-Golay filtering procedure for getting an insight into the noise-distorted high order derivatives. It is shown that depending on the ratio between the "virtual" fragility in the high temperature dynamic domain (m(high)) and the "real" fragility at T(g) (the low temperature dynamic domain, m = m(low)) glass formers can be splitted into two groups related to f < 1 and f > 1, (f = m(high)∕m(low)). The link of this phenomenon to the ratio between the apparent enthalpy and activation energy as well as the behavior of the configurational entropy is indicated.     

The dynamic susceptibility in glass forming molecular liquids: the search for universal relaxation patterns II

The susceptibility spectra of ten molecular glass formers are completely interpolated by an extension of the generalized gamma distribution of correlation times. The data cover at least 15 decades in frequency and the interpolation includes both alpha peak and excess wing. It is shown that the line shape parameters and the time constant of the alpha relaxation are related to each other. Master curves are identified by a scaling procedure that involves only three parameters, namely, the glass transition temperature T(g), the fragility m, and the excess wing exponent at T(g). This holds independent of whether a further secondary relaxation peak is present or not. Above a crossover temperature T(x) this unique evolution of the line shape parameters breaks down, and a crossover to a simple peak susceptibility without excess wing is observed. Here, the frequency-temperature superposition principle holds in good approximation up to temperatures well above the melting point. It turns out that the crossover coincides with the temperature at which the low-temperature Vogel-Fulcher law starts to fail upon heating. Thus, the so-called Stickel temperature gets a more physical meaning as it marks a qualitative change in the evolution of the susceptibility spectra of glass formers. Moreover, the interrelation of the line shape parameters can explain why the "Nagel scaling" works in some approximation. Our study demonstrates that the excess wing in molecular glass formers is a secondary relaxation, which is linked to the alpha process in a unique way.     

Dissolution and forming of cellulose with ionic liquids

The dissolution of cellulose in different ionic liquids will be described as a very recent subject for a direct dissolving process, which was used to prepare regenerated cellulose fibres. The preparation of the dopes was arranged starting from slurry of cellulose in the aqueous ionic liquid by removing the water at elevated temperature, vacuum and high shearing rates. As ionic liquids, the 1-N-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride, the 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride, the 1-N-Butyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium chloride, the 1-N-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate and the 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate were investigated. The cellulose solutions in ionic liquids were characterised by means of light microscopy, cone-plate rheometry and particle analysis. In addition these results were compared with cellulose solutions in N-methyl-morpholine-N-oxide monohydrate. Finally the cellulose dopes were shaped by a dry-wet spinning process to manufacture cellulose fibres. The properties of the resulted fibre had been determined and will be discussed.     

All-atom and united-atom simulations of guanidinium-based ionic liquids

Ionic liquids (ILs) have been widely used in separation, catalysis, electrochemistry, etc., and one of the most outstanding characteristics is that ILs can be tailored and tuned for specific tasks. In order to design and make better use of ionic liquids, the structures and properties relationship is indispensable. Both molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations have been proved useful to understand the behavior of molecules at the microscale and the properties of the system. However, the quality of such simulations depends on force field parameters describing the interactions between atoms. All-atom (AA) or the united-atom (UA) force fields will be chosen because of the demand for more exact results or the lower computational cost, respectively. In order to make a systematic comparison of the two force fields, molecular simulations for four kinds of acyclic guanidinium-based ionic liquids (cations: (R2N)2C=N+<, anion: nitric or perchloric acid) were performed based on the AA and the UA force fields in this work. AA force field parameters were derived from our previous work (Fluid Phase Equilib., 2008, 272: 1-7), and the UA parameters were proposed in this work. Molecular dynamics simulation results for the AA and UA force fields were compared. Simulation densities are very similar to each other. Center of mass radial distribution functions (RDFs), site to site RDFs and spatial distribution functions (SDFs) were also investigated to depict the microscopic structures of the ILs.     

Spinodal and ideal glass limits for metastable liquids

A spinodal line provides a high-temperature limit to the stability of a superheated liquid and a line of ideal glass transitions may provide a low-temperature limit for a supercooled liquid. For models in which the thermodynamic properties depend on only one independent external variable the line of ideal glass transition can be viewed as a second-order transition between two equilibrated phases and it meets the spinodal with the same slope at the maximum tension a stretched liquid can sustain. For real materials there are two independent external variables, temperature and pressure; the line of ideal glass transitions cannot be viewed as a second-order phase transition and the two lines need not have the same slope where they meet.     

Relaxation modes in glass forming meta-toluidine

The dynamics in supercooled meta-toluidine was studied using dielectric relaxation, modulated differential scanning calorimetry, proton spin-lattice relaxation times, and viscosity measurements. The combination of these different techniques has clearly shown a large decoupling of the relaxation modes whose origin is attributed to the formation of clusters via the NH2 bonding. This decoupling starts at a temperature also corresponding to a change of the dynamical behavior from a high temperature Arrhenius evolution to a Vogel-Fulcher-Tamman low temperature evolution.     

Terahertz quantum beats in molecular liquids

With ultrashort pulses of less than 100 fs it is possible to excite coherently several vibrational modes of polyatomic molecules simultaneously. The femtosecond time resolution of the experiment allows the study of pronounced high-frequency beat phenomena up to 10 THz. The frequency difference between vibrational modes separated by more than 300 cm⁻¹ may be determined with high precision.     

Nuclear quantum effects and hydrogen bonding in liquids

We have employed ab initio path integral molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the role of nuclear quantum effects on the strength of hydrogen bonds in liquid hydrogen fluoride. Nuclear quantum effects are shown to be responsible for a stronger hydrogen bond and an enhanced dipole-dipole interaction, which lead, in turn, to a shortening of the H...F intrachain distance. The simulation results are analyzed in terms of the electronic density shifts with respect to a purely classical treatment of the nuclei. The observed enhanced hydrogen-bond interaction, which arises from a coupling of intra- and intermolecular effects, should be a general phenomenon occurring in all hydrogen-bonded systems.     

Structural ordering in glass forming tellurium-germanium melts

The character of reorganization of the short-range order and the scale structure during the ordering of glass forming melts is elaborated based on the results of diffraction and microscopic investigations of the ordered and glassy alloys in tellurium-germanium systems. For this purpose cooling curves reflecting the formation processes of structural levels in real time are analyzed and the effective activation energies are estimated.     

Liquid-phase structure of dialkylimidazolium ionic liquids from computer simulations

We present a detailed computational study of the structure of ionic liquids based on the imidazolium cation. Both imidazolium-ring stacking and hydrogen bonding behavior are investigated from radial and spatial orientational distribution functions, as well as orientational correlation functions. The alkyl chain size and anion effect on the liquid structure are provided and discussed. Our results support models for liquid organization comparable to those formulated on the basis of experimental observations.     

Thermal-transport studies on two-dimensional quantum spin liquids

Quantum spin liquids (QSLs) are fluidlike states of quantum spins in which the long-range ordered state is destroyed by quantum fluctuations. The ground state of QSLs and their exotic phenomena, which have been extensively discussed for decades, have yet to be identified. We employ thermal-transport measurements on newly discovered QSL candidates κ-(BEDT-TTF)(2)Cu(2)(CN)(3) and EtMe(3)Sb[Pd(dmit)(2)](2), and report that the two organic insulators have different QSLs characterized by different elementary excitations. In κ-(BEDT-TTF)(2)Cu(2)(CN)(3), heat transport is thermally activated at low temperatures, and this suggests the presence of a spin gap in this QSL. In stark contrast, in EtMe(3)Sb[Pd(dmit)(2)](2), a sizable linear temperature dependence of thermal conductivity is clearly resolved in the zero-temperature limit, and shows gapless excitation with a long mean free path (ca. 1000 lattice distances). Such a long mean free path demonstrates a novel feature of QSL as a quantum-condensed state with long-distance coherence.     

Diethylamine-based ionic liquids: quantum chemical calculations and experiment

Russian Chemical Bulletin - The structural and energetic characteristics of the compounds formed by the reaction of diethylamine (DEA) with protic acids (sulfuric (H2SO4), methanesulfonic (MsOH),...     

Molecular simulations of confined liquids: an alternative to the grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations

Commonly, the confinement effects are studied from the grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations from the computation of the density of liquid in the confined phase. The GCMC modeling and chemical potential (μ) calculations are based on the insertion/deletion of the real and ghost particle, respectively. At high density, i.e., at high pressure or low temperature, the insertions fail from the Widom insertions while the performing methods as expanded method or perturbation approach are not efficient to treat the large and complex molecules. To overcome this problem we use a simple and efficient method to compute the liquid's density in the confined medium. This method does not require the precalculation of μ and is an alternative to the GCMC simulations. From the isothermal-isosurface-isobaric statistical ensemble we consider the explicit framework/liquid external interface to model an explicit liquid's reservoir. In this procedure only the liquid molecules undergo the volume changes while the volume of the framework is kept constant. Therefore, this method is described in the Np(n)AV(f)T statistical ensemble, where N is the number of particles, p(n) is the normal pressure, V(f) is the volume of framework, A is the surface of the solid/fluid interface, and T is the temperature. This approach is applied and validated from the computation of the density of the methanol and water confined in the mesoporous cylindrical silica nanopores and the MIL-53(Cr) metal organic framework type, respectively.