Effect of structure on molecular dynamics in glass-forming liquids. The case of aromaticity

Abstract

An ultimate aim of researchers is to predict the properties of matter based on the molecular structure. However, despite many efforts, this goal is still far from being achieved. Herein, using an example of two compounds differing from each other only in the type of six-carbon ring, i.e., benzene vs. cyclohexane, we show how aromaticity affects the relaxation dynamics behavior of supercooled liquid and glass. By performing the experiments at ambient and elevated pressure, we recognized which dynamic and thermodynamic quantities are sensitive to such a difference in structure and which are not.