Thermal and dielectric studies of 2,2’-dihydroxybenzophenone

Thermal and dielectric properties of 2,2’-dihydroxybenzophenone were studied in relation with the potential progress of crystal nucleation and growth below the ordinary glass transition temperature, T_gα. Differential scanning calorimetry was carried out in a range 100-350 K. The α glass transition was found to occur at T_gα=239 K. Crystallization and fusion were observed to take place when the sample was cooled down to 103 K, but not observed when cooled to 203 K. Crystal nucleation was interpreted as having happened during annealing for a short time at 103 K which is much below the T_gα. Heat capacities were measured in a range 7-350 K by an intermittent heating method with an adiabatic calorimeter. The temperature, enthalpy and entropy of fusion were determined to be 334.46 K, 20.07 kJ mol^-1 and 60.01 J K^-1mol^-1, respectively. Crystal growth was found to proceed even at 220 K below the T_gα, but no glass transition was detected below 220 K. Dielectric losses were measured in a temperature range of 100-250 K and a frequency range of 30Hz-10 kHz. β-Relaxation process was found dielectrically with the activation energy of 22.6 kJ mol^-1, and the corresponding glass transition was expected to occur at 76.9 K. It is discussed, based on the “structurally ordered clusters aggregation” model for supercooled liquids and glasses, that the β process is potentially attributed to the crystal nucleation progressing at 103 K.