Space and time scaling in glycerol–water mixtures

Abstract

The dielectric response of glycerol/water (G/W) mixtures in a wide frequency and temperature ranges is considered in terms of spatial dynamic heterogeneities. The minimal cooperative relaxation time τ0 extracted from the dielectric ‘excess wing’ is associated with the main structural mesoscopic size Lm obtained by X-ray diffraction thereby providing clarification of the minimal unit structure responsible for the cooperative dynamics. The space and time scaling can be interpreted in terms of anomalous diffusion in the spanned percolation H-bonded networks.