Application of Coincidence Doppler Broadening Spectroscopy to Hydrocarbons at Different Substance States

Coincidence Doppler broadening spectroscopy was applied to study n-hexane (C$\text{}_{6}$H$\text{}_{14}$), cyclohexane (C$\text{}_{6}$H$\text{}_{12}$) and cyclohexanone (C$\text{}_{6}$H$\text{}_{10}$O), at solid, as well as liquid states. The experiments were performed in parallel with traditional positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy. Significant positron trapping by oxygen was observed in cyclohexanone; the oxygen effect is stronger in liquid state than in solid one, which can possibly be attributed to positron solvation in polar solution. Coincidence Doppler broadening results for n-hexane and cyclohexane indicate an existence of higher energetic annihilation electrons in Ps-bubble forming liquids than that in solids.