Electron spin resonance study of trapped electrons in irradiated organic glasses at 4.2 °K

Electron spin resonance of electrons trapped in organic glasses, ethanol, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, and 3-methylhexane were studied at the four different conditions (combination of irradiation with γ-rays and measurement at both 77 and 4.2 °K). It was evident that the spectral width, ΔHms, changes irreversibly when the glasses are warmed up to 77 °K after the irradiation at 4.2 °K: from 6.7, 5.6, and 4.5 to 14, 4.4, and 4.0 G for ethanol, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, and 3-methylhexane, respectively. These observations strongly support Smith and Pieroni′s (4) suggestion that the molecular orientation is not a necessary condition for electrons to be trapped in the irradiated organic glasses.