Nature of DC conductivity in polyamides

The dc conductivity of poly(sebacyl piperazine), a polyamide prepared from the secondary diamine piperazine, in which no NH groups are present and no hydrogen bonding can occur, has been examined and compared with that of a normal 610 polyamide. The results obtained point clearly to the conduction in the 610 polyamide being electronic below about 100°C but probably involving protons as well as electrons above this temperature. This is largely consistent with the findings of earlier work and clarifies the nature of conduction below about 80°C as being almost certainly electronic where previously it was in doubt. A definite and sometimes marked hysteresis in the conductivity was observed with regard to raising and lowering the temperature of the polyamides. This is explained in terms of the space-charge polarization developed in the materials at higher temperatures and which becomes clearly evident in their dielectric behavior. This shows the importance of discharging specimens at a sufficiently high temperature before making conductivity measurements. The polarization is a bulk and not an electrode effect, and it will probably depend to a marked extent on the morphology of the polyamides.