Noncanonical Relationship between Heterogeneity and the Stokes-Einstein Breakdown in Deep Eutectic Solvents

The relationship between Stokes-Einstein breakdown (SEB) and dynamical heterogeneity (DH) is of paramount importance in the physical chemistry of complex fluids. In this work, we employ neutron scattering to probe the DH and SEB in a series of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) composed of acetamide and lithium salts. Quasielastic neutron scattering experiments reveal SEB in the jump diffusion of acetamide, represented by a fractional Stokes-Einstein relationship. Among these DESs, lithium perchlorate exhibits the most pronounced SEB while lithium bromide displays the weakest. Concurrently, elastic incoherent neutron scans identify that bromide DES is the most heterogeneous and perchlorate is the least. For the first time, our study unveils a counterintuitive incommensurate relationship between DH and SEB. Further, it reveals the intricate contrasting nature of the SEB-DH relationship when investigated in proximity to the glass-transition temperature and further away from it.