Investigation of the shear-mechanical and dielectric relaxation processes in two monoalcohols close to the glass transition

Abstract

Shear-mechanical and dielectric measurements on the two monohydroxy (monoalcohol) molecular glass formers 2-ethyl-1-hexanol and 2-butanol close to the glass-transition temperature are presented. The shear-mechanical data are obtained using the piezoelectric shear-modulus gauge method covering frequencies from 1 mHz to 10 kHz. The shear-mechanical relaxation spectra show two processes, which follow the typical scenario of a structural (alpha) relaxation and an additional (Johari-Goldstein) beta relaxation. The dielectric relaxation spectra are dominated by a Debye-type peak with an additional non-Debye peak visible. This Debye-type relaxation is a common feature peculiar to monoalcohols. The time scale of the non-Debye dielectric relaxation process is shown to correspond to the mechanical structural (alpha) relaxation. Glass-transition temperatures and fragilities are reported based on the mechanical alpha relaxation and the dielectric Debye-type process, showing that the two glass-transition temperatures differ by approximately 10 K and that the fragility based on the Debye-type process is a factor of 2 smaller than the structural fragility. If a mechanical signature of the Debye-type relaxation exists in these liquids, its relaxation strength is at most 1% and 3% of the full relaxation strength of 2-butanol and 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, respectively. These findings support the notion that it is the non-Debye dielectric relaxation process that corresponds to the structural alpha relaxation in the liquid.