Electrical conductivity of small ions in polyacrylonitrile in the glass–transition region

The electrical conductivity process in a new class of ion‐containing polymers—highly concentrated solid solutions of hydrated perchlorate salts in polyacrylonitrile (PAN)—is described (σdc = 10−7−10−2Ω−1cm−1). A low‐ac instrument (70 cps) is used to measure electrical conductivity. We present a cryogenic system in which the temperature dependence of the conductivity is studied (78–340°K). The ionic character of the conductivity process is established. The conductivity both above and below the glass‐transition (Tg) point is thermally activated with an activation energy of 0.7–0.9 e V for the glassy state (ϵg) and 0.12–0.6 eV for the rubber‐like state (ϵr). The systems described exhibit a compensation effect between the pre‐exponential factor for the conductivity in the glassy state σ0g and the difference in activation energy ϵg – ϵr