Description of the Phenomenon

Abstract

The glass transition is a complex phenomenon burdened with many substantial misunderstandings. The description in Chap. 2 consists of experimental facts, selected concepts, and terminology, and is divided into five sections. The classical physicochemical picture achieved in about 1970 (Sect. 2.1) seemed neither complicated nor problematic, but the following decades have produced many serious problems and puzzles (Sect. 2.2). The high-temperature process of the dynamic glass transition, however, was still thought to be simple. Surprisingly, both experiment and theory also proved the contrary in the late 1980s (Sect. 2.3). The present state of affairs may be characterized by some long-running issues (Sect. 2.4) that are still awaiting a complete solution. Chapter 2 concludes with a suggestion for a seemingly simple molecular picture for All That (Sect. 2.5).