Relaxation effects in an organic glassy material

Abstract Thermal properties of an organic compound, 3,9-bis{1,1-dimethyl-2[β-(3-tert-butyl-4-hydroxy-5-methylphenyl)propionyloxy]ethyl}-2,4,8,10-tetraoxaspiro[5,5]-undecane, abbreviated as AO-80, were investigated. The initial AO-80 is a complete crystal, whereas AO-80 obtained by cooling from its melting state is a glass. The differential scanning calorimetry curves of vitrified AO-80 annealed at 100 °C showed an endothermic peak just above its glass-transition temperature. This endothermic peak is assigned to a first-order transition from a disordered state to an ordered state. The ordered structure organized by an intermolecular hydrogen bond was confirmed by the wide-angle X-ray diffraction.