Ranges of presolvated electrons in nonpolar liquids

An experimental approach is developed to determine the range (distance traveled) of electrons with low (~1 eV) initial kinetic energy before solvation in hydrocarbon liquids. The distance may be associated with several processes, including electron thermalization, transport of quasi-free thermalized electrons, and electron transfer through shallow traps after primary localization. The thermalization length, l _th ≈5.5 nm, is the same for methylcyclohexane (MCH) and squalene (Sq). The length, l_th ≲1 nm, in liquid MCH is small compared with the de Broglie wavelength of the thermal electron. This means that the electron is unlikely to remain quasi-free at thermal energy in the liquid. In MCH fast solvation seems to occur just after primary electron trapping. The magnitude of l_th correlates with matrix viscosity η