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Supercooled liquids with enhanced orientational order

Author

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  • Simona Capponi

    (Laboratory of Acoustics and Thermal Physics, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
    Present address: School of Physics, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland.)

  • Simone Napolitano

    (Laboratory of Polymer and Soft Matter Dynamics, Faculté des Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Boulevard du Triomphe, Bâtiment NO)

  • Michael Wübbenhorst

    (Laboratory of Acoustics and Thermal Physics, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven)

Abstract

The nature of the glass transition, the transformation of a liquid into a disordered solid, still remains one of the most intriguing unsolved problems in materials science. Recent models rationalize crucial features of vitrification with the presence of medium-range ordered regions coexisting with the isotropic liquid. Here, in line with this prediction, we report an extraordinary enhancement in bond orientational order in ultrathin films of supercooled polyols, grown by physical vapour deposition. By varying the deposition conditions and the molecular size, we could tune the kinetic stability of the liquid phase enriched in bond orientational order towards conversion into the ordinary liquid phase. We observed a strong increase in the dielectric strength with respect to the ordinary supercooled liquid and slower structural dynamics, suggesting the existence of a metastable liquid phase with improved orientational correlations.

Suggested Citation

  • Simona Capponi & Simone Napolitano & Michael Wübbenhorst, 2012. "Supercooled liquids with enhanced orientational order," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 3(1), pages 1-7, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:3:y:2012:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms2228
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2228
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