Supramolecular Modes Interfacial and Interregional Polarization

It has been realized since the mid-1800s that the presence of material interfaces in matter provides discontinuities for the travel of changes, and provides opportunities therefore for the delays in their travel in response to an applied field. This the experimenter would view as an electrical polarization. One would then assign to the system as a whole an apparent dielectric constant containing the effects of these macroscopic polarizations, and in addition to those due to the molecular modes discussed above. 

TABLE 1. Typical Contributions of Various Types of Molecular Polarization to the Relative Dielectric Constant, AK 

Atomic (most organic compounds) 1/7 of the electronic value 

Broady speaking, disperse systems have a number of ways to exhibit enhanced polarizability. 

This is the well-known Maxwell-Wagner polarization. It always arises when two media are in contact and have differing electrical properties. A strong field and a disparity of charges arises at the juncture, leading to the possibility of high effective polarizations. These are ubiquitous in biology. 

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