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Updated: Jun 14, 2026

In Situ Monitoring of Diffusion of Guest Molecules in Porous Media Using Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Imaging
Published on: September 2, 2016
Using rare gas permeation to probe methanol diffusion near the glass transition temperature
Jesper Matthiesen1, R Scott Smith, Bruce D Kay
1Fundamental Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Post Office Box 999, Mail Stop K8-88, Richland, Washington 99352, USA.
Abstract:
The permeation of rare-gas atoms through deeply supercooled metastable liquid methanol films is used to probe the diffusivity. The technique allows for measurement of supercooled liquid mobility at temperatures near the glass transition. The temperature dependence of the diffusivity is well described by a Vogel-Fulcher-Tamman equation. These new measurements and the temperature dependent kinetic parameters obtained from their analysis provide clear evidence that methanol is a fragile liquid near the glass transition.
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