An experimental investigation of electrical conductivities in biopolymers

摘要

Gum arabica obtained from acacia plant is a conducting biopolymer. Experiments are carried out on this natural gum arabica. In the present study TGA, ion transference number, transient ionic current, thermal analysis, frequency and temperature variation of a.c. conductivity, Arrhenius plot and volt-ampere characteristics of specimens are carried out. The total electrical conductivity of these biopolymers are comparable to that of synthetic polymers doped with inorganic salts. The ion transference number of these biopolymers show their superionic nature of electrical conduction. The overall conduction mechanism seems to be protonic in nature rather than electronic one.