Evidence for a supercooled plastic-crystal phase in solid ethanol

Abstract

The existence of an orientationally disordered cubic phase of solid ethanol is revealed by x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopic measurements. Such a phase, whose existence was postulated some time ago on the basis of specific-heat measurements, is produced by quenching below some 95 K a plastic crystal formed upon melting and subsequent annealing of the topologically disordered (glassy) solid. The relevance of the present findings for current discussions on glassy dynamics is analyzed in some detail. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.