Conductance, polymer electrical properties moisture

The electrical properties of macromolecular semiconductors are generally characterized by the conductivity, the activation energy of the conductivity, the free radical concentration, and the thermal electromotive force (thermal emf). Since the polymers are usually in the form of amorphous powders, they are compressed into tablets. The contacts are either metal electrodes pressed into the surface or conductive pastes. The samples may not have any ionic conductivity (due to impurities) or surface conductivity and must be free of moisture, otherwise the conductivities will be too high. 

Moisture absorption can influence the reliability of conductive adhesive interconnection joints. Moisture in polymer composites is known to have an adverse effect on both the mechanical and electrical properties of epoxy laminates [54,55]. Studies relating to the reliability and moisture sensitivity of electronic packages indicate similar degrading effects. It was determined that moisture absorption can cause an increase in contact resistance, especially if the metallization on the bond pads and components is not a noble metal [56]. Effects of moisture absorption on conductive adhesive joints are summarized in Table 2. In order to achieve high reliability, conductive adhesives with low moisture absorption are required. High adhesion strength to pad... 

The polysdanes are normally electrical insulators, but on doping with AsF or SbF they exhibit electrical conductivity up to the levels of good semiconductors (qv) (98,124). Conductivities up to 0.5 (H-cm) have been measured. However, the doped polymers are sensitive to air and moisture thereby making them unattractive for practical use. In addition to semiconducting behavior, polysilanes exhibit photoconductivity and appear suitable for electrophotography (qv) (125—127). Polysdanes have also been found to exhibit nonlinear optical properties (94,128). 

Most polymers are very good electrical insulating materials because of their chemical composition, i.e., their electrical conductivity is exceptionally low. Because of this important property, many plastics are used to produce electrically nonconductive parts. However, the high surface resistance leads to an unwanted property the material is prone to electrostatic charge accumulation. To facilitate dissipation of the charge, antistatic agents are incorporated, which combine with atmospheric moisture on the plastic surface to form a conductive film. 

The fact that plastics are good insulators does not mean that plastics are inert in an electrical field. They can in fact, be made to conduct electricity by the addition of fillers such as carbon black and metallic flake. The type and degree of interaction depends on the polarity of the basic resin material and the ability of an electrical field to produce ions that will cause current flows. In most applications for plastics, the intrinsic properties of the polymer are related to the performance under specific test conditions. The properties of interest are the dielectric strength, the dielectric constant at a range of frequencies, the dielectric loss factor at a range of frequencies, the volume resistivity, the surface resistivity, and the arc resistance. The last three are sensitive to moisture content in many materials. These properties are determined by the use of standardized tests described by ASTM (Table 16-1). These properties of the plastics are temperature dependent as are many of their other properties. Temperature dependence must be recognized to avoid problems in electrical products made of plastics. 

The electrical conductivity of hydrophilic polyamides " and the photoconductivity of nylon-6,6" are reported. The time dependence of two transient photocurrents suggest the possible formation of a space charge in the polymer. Time-dependent effects in the form of creep measurements have also been used to examine the influence of moisture on the behaviour of nylon-6,6. Other low molecular weight molecules, whose effects on the properties of this polymer have been reported are surfactant and both acid and disperse dyes. Also with a textile connotation was a paper with more general application describing the determination of amino-acid N groups in nylon-6 and -6,6. ... 

Poly(phenylene oxide) (PPO) is a thermoplastic, linear, noncrystalline polyether commercially produced by the oxidative polymerization of 2,6-dimethylphenol in the presence of a copper-amine catalyst. PPO has become one of the most important engineering plastics widely used for a broad range of applications due to its unique combination of mechanical properties, low moisture absorption, excellent electrical insulation property, dimension stability and inherent flame resistance. This chapter describes the recent development of this polymer, particularly on the production, application, compounding, properties of its alloys and their general process conditions. The polymerization mechanism and thermal degradation pathways are reviewed and new potential applications driven by the increasing environmental concerns in battery industry, gas permeability and proton-conducting membranes are discussed. 

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