K. Ishii et al., INFRARED AND RAMAN STUDIES OF STRUCTURAL RELAXATION IN AMORPHOUS TETRACOSANE, N-C24H50, Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan, 68(5), 1995, pp. 1323-1330
Structural relaxation in amorphous tetracosane n-C24H50 was studied by
infrared and Raman spectroscopies. Samples were prepared by vacuum de
position onto cold substrates and the spectral changes were monitored
as the temperature was raised stepwise. Several distinguishable relaxa
tion processes were found to take place similarly to the case of amorp
hous states of other hydrocarbons. However, in contrast to the previou
s study, we arrived at a conclusion that the initial relaxation of the
disordered molecules does not take place in a single step. In the lat
er part of the relaxation, metastable orthorhombic-type subcells were
found to appear. They disappear finally when the adjustment of the mut
ual position of extended molecules occurs to attain the lateral molecu
lar packing of the stable triclinic crystal. The intermolecular intera
ctions along the chain direction are also discussed.