On the features of the dielectric response of supercooled ethylcyclohexane

The main relaxation observed in supercooled ethylcyclohexane in the 50 Hz-20 kHz frequency range using high-resolution dielectric spectroscopy displays an unusual relaxation pattern. The slope of the dielectric loss profile above the peak frequency, progressively tends to zero with increasing temperature. The observed features could be compatible with the existence of different underlying processes. A simple approach based on scaling is exploited to provide relevant information on the properties of the primary and secondary relaxation in ethylcyclohexane. The apparently anomalous behaviour is shown to be due to the superposition of a secondary process to the dielectric α-process and support the thesis that the β-relaxation observed in the glassy phase could have an intramolecular origin.