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A mechanism for ageing in a deeply supercooled molecular glass...

Publication Type
Journal
Journal Name
Chemical Communications
Publication Date
Page Numbers
6368 to 6371
Volume
57
Issue
52

Measurements of the decay of electric fields, formed spontaneously within vapour-deposited films of cis-methyl formate, provide the first direct assessment of the energy barrier to secondary relaxation in a molecular glass. At temperatures far below the glass transition temperature, the mechanism of relaxation is shown to be through hindered molecular rotation. Magnetically-polarised neutron scattering experiments exclude diffusion, which is demonstrated to take place only close to the glass transition temperature.