Study of dynamics and crystallization kinetics of 5-methyl-2-[(2-nitrophenyl)amino]-3-thiophenecarbonitrile at ambient and elevated pressure

The organic liquid ROY, i.e., 5-methyl-2-[(2-nitrophenyl)amino]-3-thiophenecarbonitrile, has been a subject of detailed study in the last few years. One interest in ROY lies in its polymorph-dependent fast crystal growth mode below and above the glass transition temperature. This growth mode is not diffusion controlled, and the possibility that it is enabled by secondary relaxation had been suggested. However, a previous study by dielectric relaxation spectroscopy had not been able to find any resolved secondary relaxation. The present paper reports new dielectric measurements of ROY in the liquid and glassy states at ambient pressure and elevated pressure, which were performed to provide more insight into the molecular dynamics as well as the crystallization tendency of ROY. In the search of secondary relaxation, a special glassy state of ROY was prepared by applying high pressure to the liquid state, from which secondary relaxation was possibly resolved. Thus, the role of secondary relaxation in crystallization of ROY remains to be clarified. Notwithstanding, the secondary relaxation present is not necessarily the sole enabler of crystallization. In an effort to search for possible cause of crystallization other than secondary relaxation, we also performed crystallization kinetics studies of ROY at different T and P combinations while keeping the structural relaxation time constant. The results show that crystallization of ROY speeds up with pressure, opposite to the trend found in the crystallization of ibuprofen studied up to 1 GPa. The dielectric relaxation and thermodynamic properties of ROY with phenolphthalein dimethylether (PDE) are similar in many respects, but PDE does not crystallize. Taking all the above into account, besides the secondary relaxation, the specific chemical structure, molecular interactions and packing of the molecules are additional factors that could affect the kinetics of crystallization found in ROY.     

Emergence of a new feature in the high pressure-high temperature relaxation spectrum of tri-propylene glycol

We investigated dielectric relaxation of a tri-propylene glycol system under high compression. By increasing temperature and pressure we observed that a new relaxation process emerges from the low frequency tail of the structural peak. This new peak starts to be visible at about 0.5 GPa and becomes clearly evident at 1.7 GPa. However, this additional peak merges again with the structural one as the glass transition is approached, since it has a weaker temperature dependence. This finding enriches the relaxation scenario of molecular glass formers confirming that the application of very high hydrostatic pressure can favor the detection of new relaxation or otherwise unresolved processes in supercooled liquid systems.     

Relaxation dynamics and ionic conductivity in a fragile plastic crystal

We report a thorough characterization of the dielectric relaxation behavior and the ionic conductivity in the plastic-crystalline mixture of 60% succinonitrile and 40% glutaronitrile. The plastic phase can be easily supercooled and the relaxational behavior is investigated by broadband dielectric spectroscopy in the liquid, plastic crystalline, and glassy crystal phases. The α-relaxation found in the spectra is characterized in detail. A well-pronounced secondary and faint indications for a third relaxation process were found. The latter most likely is of Johari-Goldstein type. From the temperature dependence of the α-relaxation time, a fragility parameter of 62 was determined. Thus, together with Freon112, this material stands out among all other plastic crystals by being a relatively fragile glass former. This finding provides strong support for an energy-landscape related explanation of the fragility of glass formers. In addition, unusually strong conductivity contributions were detected in the spectra exhibiting the typical features of ionic charge transport making this material a good basis for solid-state electrolytes.     

Fragility and glassy dynamics of 2Ca(NO3)2.3KNO3 under pressure: molecular dynamics simulations

Molecular dynamics simulations of the glass-forming liquid 2Ca(NO3)2.3KNO3 (CKN) were performed from high temperature liquid states down to low temperature glassy states at six different pressures from 10(-4) to 5.0 GPa. The temperature dependence of the structural relaxation time indicates that the fragility of liquid CKN changes with pressure. In line with recent proposal [Scopigno et al., Science 302, 849 (2003)], the change on liquid fragility is followed by a proportional change of the nonergodicity factor of the corresponding glass at low temperature.     

Sub-TG relaxations in LiClO4-poly (propylene glycol)-2000 solutions

The dielectric permittivity and loss of LiClO₄ solutions in poly (propylene glycol (PPG)), molecular weight 2000, have been measured over a concentration range up to a ratio of Li⁺ to oxygen atoms in PPG of 33.3:100, between 77 and 350 K. The data have been analyzed in both the permittivity and electrical modulus formalisms. Addition of LiClO₄ to poly (propylene glycol) first increases the height of the β-relaxation peak, and ultimately a second sub-T_g relaxation peak at a higher temperature emerges. This is in addition to the β-relaxation peak due to the reorientation of PPG dipoles, whose strength decreases from that in pure PPG-2000. For a fixed temperature, the dc conductivity initially decreases with increasing Li⁺ concentration up to 20 Li⁺ per 100 O atoms and thereafter increases. This concentration corresponds to that at which the T_g of the solution reaches its limiting value of ca. 310 K. It is concluded that the formation of ion pairs causes a second and slower sub-T_g relaxation process and that the increase in the efficiency of chain packing reduces the strength of the β-relaxation of the polymer.     

On the low frequency loss peak in the dielectric spectrum of glycerol

We measured dielectric spectra of glycerol at pressures exceeding 1 GPa in order to examine the slow Debye-like peak. This peak is not a relaxation process, but its frequency is consistent with an origin in dielectric discontinuities due to impurities. These heterogeneities have a non-negligible bulk modulus and are identified as volatile, relatively non-polar liquid contaminants. Although this slow peak is often found in the dielectric spectra of polyalcohols, it is not an intrinsic feature thereof, unlike the ostensibly similar relaxation peak in monoalcohols.     

Fundamentals of ionic conductivity relaxation gained from study of procaine hydrochloride and procainamide hydrochloride at ambient and elevated pressure

The pharmaceuticals, procaine hydrochloride and procainamide hydrochloride, are glass-forming as well as ionically conducting materials. We have made dielectric measurements at ambient and elevated pressures to characterize the dynamics of the ion conductivity relaxation in these pharmaceuticals, and calorimetric measurements for the structural relaxation. Perhaps due to their special chemical and physical structures, novel features are found in the ionic conductivity relaxation of these pharmaceuticals. Data of conductivity relaxation in most ionic conductors when represented by the electric loss modulus usually show a single resolved peak in the electric modulus loss M(")(f) spectra. However, in procaine hydrochloride and procainamide hydrochloride we find in addition another resolved loss peak at higher frequencies over a temperature range spanning across T(g). The situation is analogous to many non-ionic glass-formers showing the presence of the structural α-relaxation together with the Johari-Goldstein (JG) β-relaxation. Naturally the analogy leads us to name the slower and faster processes resolved in procaine hydrochloride and procainamide hydrochloride as the primary α-conductivity relaxation and the secondary β-conductivity relaxation, respectively. The analogy of the β-conductivity relaxation in procaine HCl and procainamide HCl with JG β-relaxation in non-ionic glass-formers goes further by the finding that the β-conductivity is strongly related to the α-conductivity relaxation at temperatures above and below T(g). At elevated pressure but compensated by raising temperature to maintain α-conductivity relaxation time constant, the data show invariance of the ratio between the β- and the α-conductivity relaxation times to changes of thermodynamic condition. This property indicates that the β-conductivity relaxation has fundamental importance and is indispensable as the precursor of the α-conductivity relaxation, analogous to the relation found between the Johari-Goldstein β-relaxation and the structural α-relaxation in non-ionic glass-forming systems. The novel features of the ionic conductivity relaxation are brought out by presenting the measurements in terms of the electric modulus or permittivity. If presented in terms of conductivity, the novel features are lost. This warns against insisting that a log-log plot of conductivity vs. frequency is optimal to reveal and interpret the dynamics of ionic conductors.     

Study of dielectric relaxations of anhydrous trehalose and maltose glasses

We investigated the frequency dependent dielectric relaxation behaviors of anhydrous trehalose and maltose glasses in the temperature range which covers a supercooled and glassy states. In addition to the α-, Johari-Goldstein (JG) β-, and γ-relaxations in a typical glass forming system, we observed an extra relaxation process between JG β- and γ-relaxations in the dielectric loss spectra. We found that the unknown extra relaxation is a unique property of disaccharide which might originate from the intramolecular motion of flexible glycosidic bond. We also found that the temperature dependence of the JG β-relaxation time changes at 0.95T(g) and it might be universal.     

Dielectric relaxation spectroscopy of amorphous and liquid-crystalline side-chain polycarbonates

The molecular dynamics of amorphous and liquid-crystalline (LC) side-chain polycarbonates was studied by dielectric spectroscopy at frequencies from 10⁻² to 10⁶ Hz and at temperatures from −160 to 180°C. ‘Model’ compounds containing no mesogenic side-groups showed two relaxations, which originate from the carbonate group (α, β_m-relaxation). By contrast, in LC-polycarbonates bearing a mesogenic nitrostilbene side group around and above the glass transition temperature T_g up to three relaxation modes were distinguished (α-, λ₁-, λ₂-process); below T_g four secondary relaxations (γ-, β_m-, β_s-, β_sc-relaxation) were observed. The γ-relaxation was found only in compounds possessing an aliphatic spacer linked to the backbone by an ether bond. Apart from β_m-, two additional β-processes were identified as relaxations associated with the mesogenic unit in the glassy (β_s) or in the crystalline state (β_sc).     

Catalytic asymmetric addition of carbon dioxide to propylene oxide with unprecedented enantioselectivity

New chiral catalyst systems were developed for the reaction of carbon dioxide with propylene oxide (PO) at atmospheric pressure to generate enantiomerically enriched propylene carbonate (PC). The best selectivity was achieved with a Co(III)(salen)-trifluoroacetyl complex and bis(triphenylphosphoranylidene)ammonium fluoride (PPN+F-) as catalysts, affording PC in 40% yield and 83% ee (selectivity factor = 19). In addition, PC was prepared for the first time by kinetic resolution of PO with tetrabutylammonium methyl carbonate (TBAMC, nBu4N+ (-)OOCOMe). With TBAMC as "activated CO2", up to 71% ee was obtained.     

The Kinetics of the Reaction of Carbon Dioxide with Propylene Oxide Catalyzed by a Chromium–Salen Complex

The kinetics of the reaction of CO₂ with propylene oxide utilizing a salenCrCl/PPNCl active catalytic system is studied with varying reaction conditions (temperature, pressure, and cocatalyst/catalyst ratio). The reaction proceeds selectively to form cyclic propylene carbonate (PC) at [PPNCl]/[salenCrCl] ratios above two. The value of the effective activation energy of PC formation is found.     

Bubble‐free electrokinetic flow with propylene carbonate

For electroosmotic pumping, a large direct‐current (DC) electric field (10+ V/cm) is applied across a liquid, typically an aqueous electrolyte. At these high voltages, water undergoes electrolysis to form hydrogen and oxygen, generating bubbles that can block the electrodes, cause pressure fluctuations, and lead to pump failure. The requirement to manage these gases constrains system designs. This article presents an alternative polar liquid for DC electrokinetic pumping, propylene carbonate (PC), which remains free of bubbles up to at least 10 kV/cm. This offers the opportunity to create electrokinetic devices in closed configurations, which we demonstrate with a fully sealed microfluidic hydraulic actuator. Furthermore, the electroosmotic velocity of PC is similar to that of water in PDMS microchannels. Thus, water could be substituted by PC in existing electroosmotic pumps.     

Dynamics of small-molecule glass formers confined in nanopores

We report a comparative neutron scattering study of the molecular mobility and nonexponential relaxation of three structurally similar glass-forming liquids, isopropanol, propylene glycol, and glycerol, both in bulk and confined in porous Vycor glass. Confinement reduces molecular mobility in all three liquids, and suppresses crystallization in isopropanol. High-resolution quasielastic neutron scattering spectra were fit to Fourier transformed Kohlrausch functions exp[-(t∕τ)(β)], describing the α-relaxation processes in these liquids. The stretching parameter β is roughly constant with wavevector Q and over the temperature range explored in bulk glycerol and propylene glycol, but varies both with Q and temperature in confinement. Average relaxation times <τ(Q)> are longer at lower temperatures and in confinement. They obey a power law <τ(Q)> ∝ Q(-γ), where the exponent γ is modified by confinement. Comparison of the bulk and confined liquids lends support to the idea that structural and∕or dynamical heterogeneity underlies the nonexponential relaxation of glass formers, as widely hypothesized in the literature.     

Influence of adsorbed polar molecules on the electronic transport in a composite material Li(1.1)V3O8-PMMA for lithium batteries

The broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS) technique (40 to 10(10) Hz) is used here to measure the electronic transport across all observed size scales of a Li(1.1)V(3)O(8)-polymer-gel composite material for lithium batteries. Different electrical relaxations are evidenced, resulting from the polarizations at the different scales of the architecture: (i) atomic lattice (small-polaron hopping), (ii) particles, (iii) clusters of particles, and finally (iv) sample-current collector interface. A very good agreement with dc-conductivity measurements on a single macro-crystal [M. Onoda and I. Amemiya, J. Phys.: Condens. Matter, 2003, 15, 3079.] shows that the BDS technique does allow probing the bulk (intrinsic) electrical properties of a material in the form of a network of particles separated by boundaries in a composite. Moreover, this study highlights a lowering of the surface electronic conductivity of Li(1.1)V(3)O(8) particles upon adsorption of polar ethylene carbonate (EC) and propylene carbonate (PC) that trap surface polarons. This result is meaningful as EC and PC are typical constituents of a liquid electrolyte of lithium batteries. It is thus suggested that interactions between active material particles and the liquid electrolyte play a role in the electronic transport within composite electrodes used in a lithium battery.     

The inflection point in the pressure dependence of viscosity under high pressure: a comprehensive study of the temperature and pressure dependence of the viscosity of propylene carbonate

The pressure dependence of the prototypical glass-former propylene carbonate has been investigated over a broad range of temperature and pressure that were inaccessible in previous investigations using dielectric spectroscopy. We find that the viscosity measurements validate the scaling relation, eta(T,V)=J(TV gamma), with a scaling parameter gamma close to that found from dielectric relaxation measurements. In the pressure dependence of the viscosity, we observe an inflection point in the log eta versus P response, similar to that found previously for other materials. However, this inflection has never been observed in dielectric relaxation measurements. Using the scaling property above, it is possible to determine the behavior of the dielectric relaxation time in this otherwise inaccessible experimental range and compare it with the viscosity measurements. We find that the behaviors of eta and tau are very similar, and a very good agreement between the function phi P calculated for these two quantities is found. Starting from the validity of the scaling properties, we show that the inflection point in the pressure dependence of the viscosity can be attributed to the convolution of the pressure dependences of the compressibility kappa T and the apparent activation energy at constant volume EV.     

Dynamics of a poly(isoprene)/poly(vinyl ethylene) blend revisited: Component polymer relaxation and blend behavior

Motivated by recent molecular dynamics simulation studies of miscible blends of dynamically disparate polymers, we have revisited the experimentally measured dielectric relaxation in a 50/50 blend of poly(isoprene) and poly(vinyl ethylene) (PI/PVE). In contrast to efforts to explain the dielectric loss in PI/PVE blends in terms of a distribution of local environments leading to a broad distribution of segmental relaxation times (the so-called concentration fluctuation model), our analysis indicates that there is no evidence for significant broadening of the relaxation processes in the component polymers upon blending. Rather, we find that the dielectric loss of the 50/50 PI/PVE blend can be represented as a sum of α- and β-relaxation processes for the component polymers represented with Havriliak-Negami functions whose shape and relaxation strength are consistent with those obtained for the pure PI and PVE melts. The α-relaxation process for the PVE component was found to be dramatically influenced by blending, moving to much higher frequency with moderate narrowing, while the α-relaxation process for the PI component shifted to somewhat lower frequency with slight broadening, consistent with our MD simulations of a model blend and 2D NMR measurements on PI/PVE blends. In contrast, the β-processes in the PVE and PI components were found to be essentially uninfluenced by blending, with the latter accounting for the significant high-frequency loss observed in the PI/PVE blend.     

The Direct Electrochemical Oxidation of Ammonia in Propylene Carbonate: A Generic Approach to Amperometric Gas Sensors

The direct electrochemical oxidation of ammonia in propylene carbonate is reported for the first time. The voltammetric responses at glassy carbon, boron‐doped diamond, edge and basal plane pyrolytic graphite electrodes are explored and compared with the outcome indicating that the optimum electrode substrate for analytical purposes in this solvent is glassy carbon. Proof‐of‐concept is shown for the amperometric detection of ammonia using basal plane pyrolytic graphite electrodes abrasively modified with glassy carbon spheres. Given the significantly lower vapor pressure of propylene carbonate in comparison to water the implications for extending the life‐time of practical sensors are evident. Propylene carbonate shows a wide potential window with glassy carbon electrodes permitting this approach to be used for a potential diversity of gaseous analytes.     

ZnO催化尿素和丙二醇合成碳酸丙烯酯的反应研究

尿素和丙二醇合成碳酸丙烯酯(PC)在热力学上是可进行的。根据ZnO对尿素和丙二醇的催化反应性能,讨论了合成PC的反应历程。结果表明,该反应是分步进行的,首先尿素分解生成氨气和异氰酸,异氰酸与ZnO作用形成异氰酸物种,在丙二醇的作用下生成中间产物羟丙基氨基甲酸酯(HPC),然后由HPC脱氨气生成PC。 ZnO在尿素分解和HPC脱氨气转化为PC的反应过程中起催化作用。     

Anomalous narrowing of the structural relaxation dispersion of tris(dimethylsiloxy)phenylsilane at elevated pressures

Broadband dielectric relaxation measurements of tris(dimethylsiloxy)phenylsilane were made at ambient pressure and at elevated pressures. The data show an anomalous behavior not previously seen in any other glass-formers; namely, the structural alpha-relaxation loss peak narrows with increasing pressure and temperature at constant peak frequency. Interpreted by the coupling model, the effect is due to reduction of intermolecular coupling at elevated pressures. This interpretation has support from the observed decrease of the separation between the alpha-relaxation and the Johari-Goldstein secondary relaxation, as well as the smaller steepness or "fragility" index m of the data obtained at 1.7 GPa than at ambient pressure.     

High-pressure Brillouin scattering of amorphous BeH2

High-pressure micro-Brillouin scattering is employed to investigate the pressure dependence of the sound velocity, refractive index, equation of state, and mechanical properties of amorphous BeH2. The refractive index n has been determined by using two scattering geometries (70 degrees and 180 degrees). The equation of state is deduced from the pressure dependences of the sound velocity. The bulk modulus is 14.2 (+/-3.0) GPa and its pressure derivative is 5.3 (+/-0.5). The polarizability is calculated from the refractive index and the density of the material. It increases with pressure while Poisson's ratio decreases with pressure.