ORIGIN AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE COMPENSATION LAW IN ELECTRICAL-CONDUCTION AND DIELECTRIC-RELAXATION OF PLASTICIZED PVC

Recently published results on the dielectric relaxation of plasticized polyvinyl chloride (PVC) reveal that the observed linear relation between the logarithm of the pre-exponental term and the activation energy in the Arrhenius equation (the so-called compensation law) suggests a linear relation also between the activation entropy and enthalpy of relaxation. The Gibbs free energy of relaxation is shown to vary linearly with plasticizer content. The application of this model to mobility and electrical conductivity results for PVC is discussed. It is concluded that more data are needed to draw any conclusion on the origin and nature of relaxations and charge transport in plasticized PVC. © 1990 IOP Publishing Ltd.