Thermal and acoustic experiments on polymorphic ethanol

Abstract

Calorimetric and acoustic experiments were conducted on pure ethanol in the temperature range around 80–180 K, in which different solid–solid and solid–liquid transitions are observed. Using a versatile calorimetric experimental system, the specific heats of the different phases were accurately measured and the phase transitions between them investigated. The latter investigation was supported by complementary Brillouin-scattering experiments. The influence of several factors in the kinetics of crystallization versus vitrification is demonstrated and briefly discussed.

Keywords:

• glass transition
• specific heat
• Brillouin scattering
• orientationally-disordered crystals
• ethanol
• crystallization kinetics

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science within project FIS2006-01117 and program CONSOLIDER INGENIO 2010, as well as by the Comunidad de Madrid through program “Science and Technology in the Millikelvin” (S-0505/ESP/0337).