Solid-state phase transition in n-alkanes of different parity

Abstract

The kinetics of the first-order solid-state structural transition in monodisperse n-alkanes samples of tricosane C23H48 and tetracosane C24H50 was studied by DSC and FTIR spectroscopy. The initial nuclei location of the new phase was revealed. The process of crystal structure rearrangement is initiated in the interlayers between neighboring lamellar for odd tricosane, while the nanonuclei in even tetracosane arise in the crystalline lamella cores. Thus, the influence of the number evenness of carbon atoms in the n-alkanes chains on the first-order structural phase transition has been proved.