Influence of temperature on rotational diffusion of dipolar laser dyes in glycerol

► τr of three structurally similar dipolar probes are studied in glycerol as function of temperature. ► τr of probes vary linearly with η over the temperature range studied even at high viscosities. ► Rotational dynamics follows a trend that lies in between slip and stick hydrodynamic limits. ► Formation of weak hydrogen bonds between solute and solvent molecules responsible for the results. ► A coincidence of slip hydrodynamic and DKS predictions has been noted for both F27 and FNa. ► Fair agreement between DKS theory and experiment is noted for the first time, for the largest probe SRB.