DC ELECTRICAL-CONDUCTION IN SOLUTION-GROWN PURE AND IODINE-DOPED POLY(BUTYLENE TEREPHTHALATE) FILMS

DC electrical conduction in poly(butylene terephthalate) films sandwiched between planar aluminium electrodes was investigated. The films were grown by the isothermal immersion technique. The conduction process was studied in the temperature range 300-450 K, with an applied electric field of 0.22 x 10(7)-6.66 x 10(7) Vm-1. It was found that the Richardson-Schottky type of conduction mechanism was dominant throughout the temperature range of study. The values of the Schottky field lowering constant beta, the effective metal-insulator potential barrier and the activation energy were evaluated. The value of the activation energy (U = 0.7 eV) indicates the predominance of electronic conduction. The effect of impurities like iodine on electrical conduction was also investigated.