Detection of Early Stage Precursor during Formation of Plastic Crystal Ethanol from the Supercooled Liquid State: A Simultaneous Dielectric Spectroscopy with Neutron Diffraction Study.

Transformation of deuterated ethanol from supercooled liquid into a plastic crystal or rotator phase is investigated by means of a particular experimental setup combining simultaneously dielectric spectroscopy with neutron diffraction techniques. We demonstrate that, previous to the growth of the bcc lattice of the plastic crystal phase, the formation of a precursor or intermediate phase through a liquid-liquid phase separation takes place. Once this precursor phase is formed, subsequent (plastic) crystalline nucleation and growth is expected to develop.