On Polarization in Liquid Dielectrics

Abstract

A theory of polarization originally developed for crystals is extended in such a way as to be applicable to dc measurements in liquid dielectrics. In Sec. II the general time dependent solution of the relevant differential equation is obtained by the method of eigenvalues. It leads to expressions for the ``charging current'' in Eq. (22) and the ``discharge current'' in Eq. (29), which are characteristic of liquids. In Sec. III the measurements and their results are described. They refer to solutions in hexane, and to pure hexane rendered conductive by radium radiation. Attempts to obtain photoconductivity were futile. In Sec. IV it is shown that the observations can be correlated by the theory of Sec. II provided the presence of two species of ions of different mobilities is assumed. A few cases of quantitative analysis are carried out. They lead to the determination of the mobility of the slower ions, and of the thickness of the polarization layers. In Sec. V some aspects of polarization in crystals are discussed in the light of the more recent development.