Maxwell–Wagner–Sillars polarization explained

In dielectric spectroscopy, large frequency dependent contributions to the dielectric response, especially at low frequencies, may come from build-ups of charge. This Maxwell–Wagner–Sillars polarization (or often just Maxwell-Wagner polarization), occurs either at inner dielectric boundary layers on a mesoscopic scale, or at the external electrode-sample interface on a macroscopic scale. In both cases this leads to a separation of charges (such as through a depletion layer). The charges are often separated over a considerable distance (relative to the atomic and molecular sizes), and the contribution to dielectric loss can therefore be orders of magnitude larger than the dielectric response due to molecular fluctuations.^[1]

Occurrences

Maxwell-Wagner polarization processes should be taken into account during the investigation of inhomogeneous materials like suspensions or colloids, biological materials, phase separated polymers, blends, and crystalline or liquid crystalline polymers.^[2]

Models

The simplest model for describing an inhomogeneous structure is a double layer arrangement, where each layer is characterized by its permittivity

\epsilon' _{1,\epsilon'} _{2} and its conductivity \sigma _{1,\sigma} _{2} . The relaxation time for such an arrangement is given by\tau _{MW} = \epsilon _{0 (\epsilon _{1+\epsilon} _{2})/(\sigma _{1+\sigma} _{2})} . Importantly, since the materials' conductivities are in general frequency dependent, this shows that the double layer composite generally has a frequency dependent relaxation time even if the individual layers are characterized by frequency independent permittivities.

A more sophisticated model for treating interfacial polarization was developed by Maxwell, and later generalized by Wagner ^[3] and Sillars.^[4] Maxwell considered a spherical particle with a dielectric permittivity

\epsilon' _{2} and radius R suspended in an infinite medium characterized by \epsilon _{1} . Certain European text books will represent the \epsilon _{1} constant with the Greek letter ω (Omega), sometimes referred to as Doyle's constant.^[5]

References

See also

• Debye relaxation
• Dielectric dispersion
• Dielectric function
• Dielectrophoresis
• Dipole
• Permittivity
• Ellipsometry
• Linear response function
• Kramers–Kronig relation
• Green–Kubo relations

Notes and References

1. Kremer F., & Schönhals A. (eds.): Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy. – Springer-Verlag, 2003, .
2. Kremer F., & Schönhals A. (eds.): Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy. – Springer-Verlag, 2003, .
3. Wagner KW (1914) Arch Elektrotech 2:371;
4. Sillars RW (1937) J Inst Elect Eng 80:378
5. G.McGuinness, Polymer Physics, Oxford University Press, p211