Electrical conductivity studies of poly(ethyleneoxide)-poly(vinylalcohol) blends

Abstract

The electrical conductivity studies have been conducted over the entire range of composition in poly(ethyleneoxide)-poly(vinylalcohol) blends over a wide frequency regime. The conductivity variation has been investigated using the modified Almond-West formulation of σ(w)=A₁w^s₁+A₂w^s₂ for different compositions and is found to fit the ac conductivity data better at all temperatures. The dielectric data were analysed using complex dielectric constant ∈*, complex electric modulus M*, and complex impedence Z* of the samples. The relaxation peaks seen in the imaginary part of the moduli for pure PEO and pure PVA occur at different frequencies but dielectric relaxation spectroscopic studies do not reveal the simultaneous presence of both the peaks in any of the blends. The residual water is thought to play a role in suppressing the two peak character.