Glass transition and enthalpy relaxation of ethylene glycol and its aqueous solution

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and cryomicroscopy were employed to investigate the glass transition and enthalpy relaxation behaviors of ethylene glycol (EG) and its aqueous solution (50% EG) with different crystallization percent. Isothermal crystallization method was used in devitrification region to get different crystallinity after samples quenched below glass transition temperature. The DSC thermograms upon warming showed that the pure EG has a single glass transition, while the 50% EG solution has two if the solution crystallized partially. It is believed that the lower temperature transition represents the glass transition of bulk amorphous phase of EG aqueous solution glass state, while the higher one is related to ice inclusions, whose mobility is restricted by ice crystal. Cryomicroscopic observation indicated that the EG crystal has regular shape while the ice crystal in 50% EG aqueous solution glass matrix has no regular surface. Isothermal annealing experiments at temperatures lower than T_g were also conducted on these amorphous samples in DSC, and the results showed that both the two amorphous phases presented in 50% EG experience enthalpy relaxation. The relaxation process of restricted amorphous phase is more sensitive to annealing temperature.