EPR study of crystalline and glassy ethanol

Pulsed X-band electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy was applied in studying molecular dynamics in two different solid ethanol matrices. Nitroxyl radicals as paramagnetic reporter groups were embedded in crystalline and glassy ethanol and the phase memory time, Tm, was investigated at 5-80 K. Temperature variation revealed a maximum in 1/Tm centred around 50 K and a small linear decrease with temperature, below ca. 25 K. Faster phase memory time relaxation in crystalline ethanol than in ethanol glass was observed throughout the temperature range studied. This can be attributed to differences in spectral diffusion due to distinct molecular packing densities.