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.
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