Electric current arising from unpolarized polyvinyl formal

Abstract. An appreciable electric current is observed in a system consisting of a polyvinyl formal (PVF) film in a sandwich configuration, in the temperature range 30–110°C. The maximum value of the current during first heating is found to be of the order of 10–10 A and its thermograms exhibit one transition (i.e. current peak) at around 60°C. The position of the current peak in thermal spectrum shifts with the heating rate. A temperature dependence of the open circuit voltage is also observed. The activation energy of he process res-ponsible for the current is determined. The magnitude of the current is more in the case of dissimilar ele-ctrode systems. It is proposed that the electric current arising from unpolarized metal–polymer–metal syste