Detection of early stage precursor during formation of plastic crystal ethanol from the supercooled liquid state: a simultaneous dielectric spectroscopy with neutron diffraction study

Phys Rev Lett. 2011 Jul 8;107(2):025502. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.025502. Epub 2011 Jul 6.

Abstract

Transformation of deuterated ethanol from supercooled liquid into a plastic crystal or rotator phase is investigated by means of a particular experimental setup combining simultaneously dielectric spectroscopy with neutron diffraction techniques. We demonstrate that, previous to the growth of the bcc lattice of the plastic crystal phase, the formation of a precursor or intermediate phase through a liquid-liquid phase separation takes place. Once this precursor phase is formed, subsequent (plastic) crystalline nucleation and growth is expected to develop.