Electrical Conduction of Polystyrene Films

Abstract

A measurement of steady-state conductivity was carried out on atactic polystyrene films at various voltages and temperatures. The thicknesses of the films were 33–40 µm and the voltages applied were 20–900 volts. A sufficient time was allowed to elapse after the application of the voltage to ensure a steady current before measurement. A relation between the current and voltage and also that between the current and temperature were obtained. The results were consistently explained on the assumption that the current is composed of electrons injected into the film which contains space charge over the Schottky barrier and diffusing toward the anode. A rough estimate was made of the density of traps which was found to decrease with increase in the temperature. A discussion is given also on the apparent activation energy of the process.