Observation of the transient rotator phase of n-hexadecane in emulsified droplets with time-resolved two-dimensional small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering.
Crystallization of n-hexadecane in emulsion droplets was studied using time-resolved two-dimensional small- and wide-angle x-ray scattering with differential scanning calorimetry (2D-SAXS-WAXS-in situ DSC) which provides information about both nano- and subnanoscale structural change. n-hexadecane in droplets reproducibly crystallized into the stable triclinic phase via a transient-rotator phase. This is in contrast with previous results that the rotator phase of n-hexadecane was observed only occasionally for bulk samples. Thus we confirmed the existence of rotator phase in n-hexadecane, which is important for the study of crystallization of soft materials. We suggest that the rotator phase at the interface of oil and water plays a precursor role for bulk crystallization. This study demonstrates that 2D-SAXS-WAXS-in situ DSC is a powerful tool for the study of a transient phase.
Shinohara
Yuya
Y
Department of Advanced Materials Science, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwanoha 5-1-5, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8561, Japan. shinohara@x-ray.k.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Kawasaki
Naohiko
N
Ueno
Satoru
S
Kobayashi
Isao
I
Nakajima
Mitsutoshi
M
Amemiya
Yoshiyuki
Y