Observation of the transient rotator phase of n-hexadecane in emulsified droplets with time-resolved two-dimensional small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering

Phys Rev Lett. 2005 Mar 11;94(9):097801. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.097801. Epub 2005 Mar 11.

Abstract

Crystallization of n-hexadecane in emulsion droplets was studied using time-resolved two-dimensional small- and wide-angle x-ray scattering with differential scanning calorimetry (2D-SAXS-WAXS-in situ DSC) which provides information about both nano- and subnanoscale structural change. n-hexadecane in droplets reproducibly crystallized into the stable triclinic phase via a transient-rotator phase. This is in contrast with previous results that the rotator phase of n-hexadecane was observed only occasionally for bulk samples. Thus we confirmed the existence of rotator phase in n-hexadecane, which is important for the study of crystallization of soft materials. We suggest that the rotator phase at the interface of oil and water plays a precursor role for bulk crystallization. This study demonstrates that 2D-SAXS-WAXS-in situ DSC is a powerful tool for the study of a transient phase.