Slow dielectric response of Debye-type in water and other hydrogen bonded liquids

The slow dynamics of some hydrogen bonded glass-forming liquids has been investigated by broadband dielectric spectroscopy. We show that the polyalcohols glycerol, xylitol, and sorbitol, and mixtures of glycerol and water, and in fact, even pure water exhibit a process of Debye character at longer time-scales than the glass transition and viscosity related α-relaxation. Even if it is less pronounced, this process displays many similarities to the well-studied Debye-like process in monoalcohols. It can be observed in both the negative derivative of the real part of the permittivity or in the imaginary part of the permittivity, if the conductivity contribution is reduced. In the present study the conductivity contribution has been suppressed by use of a thin Teflon film placed between the sample and one of the electrodes. The new findings might have important implications for the structure and dynamics of hydrogen bonded liquids in general, and for water in particular.