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We report dynamics data on a family of indane glass-forming liquids. Although structural variations make the glass transition vary over a 77 K range, the fragility and width of the relaxation time distribution from oscillatory shear measurements are quite similar for all 14 indanes studied. In contrast, the measured width of the primary relaxation time distribution from dielectric measurements varies considerably for different indanes. The temperature dependence of relaxation time can be described using either Vogel–Fulcher or dynamic scaling, but only the latter allows both mechanical and dielectric data sets to have the same divergence temperature. The consequences of this observation for the thermodynamic significance of such a divergence temperature are discussed.

When considered in the framework of a dynamic scaling model, the length scale of cooperative motion of all glass-forming liquids appears to have a universal temperature dependence. This model also predicts relaxation times with a system-specific temperature dependence, as the product of the universal cooperative length scale raised to the sixth power and a non-universal thermally activated process. In the glassy state, the length scale for cooperative motion can become temperature-independent, so the model predicts relaxation times to have an Arrhenius temperature dependence. As expected by the model, the same activation energy is observed both above and below the glass transition. At sufficiently high temperatures the model ceases to apply to relaxation times, and the crossover to a high-T Arrhenius temperature dependence provides an experimental estimate of the caging temperature. We also report an approximate power law relation between the fragility index and the cooperative length scale at the glass transition.