Nuclear magnetic resonance and dielectric spectroscopy of a simple supercooled liquid

Abstract

The small-molecule glass former methyl tetrahydrofuran (MTHF) was investigated using dielectric spectroscopy, spin-lattice relaxometry, multidimensional stimulated-echo nuclear magnetic resonance techniques, and field gradient diffusometry. We show experimentally that MTHF nicely fits into the pattern of related small-molecule glass-forming liquids, including the existence of a high-frequency contribution to the dielectric loss, the appearance of a pronounced translational enhancement, the dominance of small average rotational jump angles, and the existence of short-lived dynamical heterogeneity.