MOLECULAR MOTIONS IN THE SOLID ROTATOR PHASE OF 2-ADAMANTONE - A THERMALLY STIMULATED CURRENTS STUDY

A Thermally Stimulated Discharge Currents (t.s.d.c.) study of 2-adaman tanone has been performed in the temperature range from -160 degrees C to +100 degrees C in order to analyse the phase transitions and the m olecular motions present in this solid. A relaxation was observed at - 130 degrees C which was attributed to the transition between an ordere d brittle phase and a biphasic system composed by this ordered phase a nd an orientationaly disordered phase. An higher temperature relaxatio n was also observed which probably corresponds to the onset of the mol ecular self-diffusion in the solid. It was suggested that the t.s.d.c. technique is potentially a powerful technique to study molecular moti ons in solid rotator phases.