α and β relaxation dynamics of a fragile plastic crystal

Abstract

We present a thorough dielectric investigation of the relaxation dynamics of plastic crystalline Freon112, which exhibits freezing of the orientational degrees of freedom into a glassy crystal below 90 K. Among other plastic crystals, Freon112 stands out by being relatively fragile within Angell's [Relaxations in Complex Systems, edited by K. L. Ngai and G. B. Wright (NRL, Washington, DC, 1985), p. 3] classification scheme and by showing an unusually strong beta relaxation. Comparing the results to those on Freon112a, having only a single molecular conformation, points to the importance of the presence of two molecular conformations in Freon112 for the explanation of its unusual properties.