Can experiments select the configurational component of excess entropy?
Configurational entropy is frequently used to rationalize the structural dynamics of glass-forming liquids. The main problem with this concept is that it is not directly accessible to experiments. We introduce a procedure to estimate the configurational component of the excess entropy of a liquid --specifically, the configurational-entropy contribution from the structural relaxation process-- through a combined investigation of dynamic and thermodynamic properties as functions of temperature and pressure. We test our method on orthoterphenyl, salol, and glycerol, and find that the fraction of excess entropy that arises from structural configurations is about 70% for all three materials.
Corezzi
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Dipartimento di Fisica and INFM, Universitá di Perugia, Via A. Pascoli, 06123, Perugia, Italy. corezzi@fisica.unipg.it
Comez
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Fioretto
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