Fitting the low-frequency Raman spectra to boson peak models: glycerol, triacetin and polystyrene

Change in Conductive-Radiative Heat Transfer Mechanism Forced by Graphite Microfiller in Expanded Polystyrene Thermal Insulation-Experimental and Simulated Investigations

This article introduces an innovative approach to the investigation of the conductive-radiative heat transfer mechanism in expanded polystyrene (EPS) thermal insulation at negligible convection. Closed-cell EPS foam (bulk density 14-17 kg·m^-3) in the form of panels (of thickness 0.02-0.18 m) was tested with 1-15 µm graphite microparticles (GMP) at two different industrial concentrations (up to 4.3% of the EPS mass). A heat flow meter (HFM) was found to be precise enough to observe all thermal effects under study: the dependence of the total thermal conductivity on thickness, density, and GMP content, as well as the thermal resistance relative gain. An alternative explanation of the total thermal conductivity "thickness effect" is proposed. The conductive-radiative components of the total thermal conductivity were separated, by comparing measured (with and without Al-foil) and simulated (i.e., calculated based on data reported in the literature) results. This helps to elucidate why a small addition of GMP (below 4.3%) forces such an evident drop in total thermal conductivity, down to 0.03 W·m^-1·K^-1. As proposed, a physical cause is related to the change in mechanism of the heat transfer by conduction and radiation. The main accomplishment is discovering that the change forced by GMP in the polymer matrix thermal conduction may dominate the radiation change. Hence, the matrix conduction component change is considered to be the major cause of the observed drop in total thermal conductivity of EPS insulation. At the microscopic level of the molecules or chains (e.g., in polymers), significant differences observed in the intensity of Raman spectra and in the glass transition temperature increase on differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) thermograms, when comparing EPS foam with and without GMP, complementarily support the above statement. An additional practical achievement is finding the maximum thickness at which one may reduce the "grey" EPS insulating layer, with respect to "dotted" EPS at a required level of thermal resistance. In the case of the thickest (0.30 m) panels for a passive building, above 18% of thickness reduction is found to be possible.

Correlation between Quasielastic Raman Scattering and Configurational Entropy in an Ionic Liquid

Low-frequency (5-200 cm(-1)) Raman spectra are reported for the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, [bmim]PF(6), in glassy, supercooled liquid, and normal liquid phases (77-330 K). Raman spectra of [bmim]PF(6) agree with previous results obtained by optical Kerr effect spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulation. Both the superposition model and the coupling model give reasonable fit to low-frequency Raman spectra of [bmim]PF(6). The configurational entropy of [bmim]PF(6) has been evaluated as a function of temperature using recently reported data of heat capacity. The calculated configurational entropy is inserted in the Adam-Gibbs theory for supercooled liquids, giving a good fit to non-Arrhenius behavior of viscosity and diffusive process, with the latter revealed by a recent neutron scattering investigation of [bmim]PF(6). There is a remarkable linear dependence between intensity of quasielastic Raman scattering and configurational entropy from 77 K up to the melting point of [bmim]PF(6). This correlation offers insight into the nature of dynamical processes probed by low-frequency Raman spectra of ionic liquids.

Raman study of structural relaxation and boson peak in amorphous films of adamantane

Low-frequency Raman scattering was used to study amorphous solid films of adamantane, a globular non-polar hydrocarbon molecule. As evidenced by its spectral characteristics this type of disorder is different from the orientational disorder found in the room temperature plastic phase by the absence of the translational order as well. This gives rise to the boson peak related to acoustic phonons which gradually disappears upon heating with simultaneous emerging of the phonon line at 50 cm-1 which characterizes the low-temperature ordered phase of adamantane. Adamantane dynamics resembles that of C60 fullerene although not in the same temperature range. All this makes adamantane an attractive system that could serve as a practical reference in molecular simulation studies of the glassy phase of model fluids.