Ohmic heat damage

A simple thin film technique has been developed to measure the electrical properties of polyelectrolyte solutions under sinusoidal electric fields of 100-500 v/cm at frequencies of. 10-10 KHz. Ohmic heating is largely avoided by the rapid transfer of heat to the electrodes and by the high surface to volume ratios. The resulting temperature is not sufficient to damage the medium. Current and voltage wave forms are monitored directly so that dispersion and nonlinear phenomena of the medium can be viewed directly as functions of frequency, voltage, and concentration of the solution. Possible mechanisms for the observed phenomena are discussed. 

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