An analysis of the suitability of the Lillie number to characterize the glass transition of real glass-forming substances

Abstract

The Lillie Number, the negative product of the cooling rate and the temperature dependence of the structural relaxation time, characterizes the glass transition for systems with a single relaxation time. In this paper the utility of the concept is examined in “real” glasses, where a spectrum of relaxation times is necessary. While the principle is still useful, the simplicity and elegance of the approach are diminished for the “real” glass.