About Me
I’m a graduate student in JHP Group and my research topic is the Polyamorphism in D-Mannitol. Polyamorphism is a term describes the existence of two or more amorphous states in a one-component system. Polyamorphism is quite rare, and the nature of it is still controversial. We found that D-mannitol, a common sugar alcohol, is a member of polyamorphism family. By annealing the melt-quenched glass, or simply heat it slowly, it can transit into another apparently amorphous states, which we denote as ‘Phase X’. The Phase X is transparent, non-crystalline like, and XRD and Raman results confirmed its amorphism. We are also studying the thermodynamics property of this system with the help of Flash-DSC, a fast-rate calorimeter that is capable of heating rate up to 40,000K/s and cooling rate up to 10,000K/s, and find that the phase X has an enthalpy in roughly the middle of normal melt-quenched glass and crystalline. We are now studying the kinetics of the transition between these two amorhpous states, with the help of phase contrast microscope. Finally, our goal is to come up with some insights into the amazing polyamorphism phenomenon.
Contact
LinkedIn
wtang44@wisc.edu