Observation of negative differential mobility and charge packet in polyethylene

George Chen (1) , Junwei Zhao (1)

1 Faculty of Physical and Applied Science

Charge packet has been observed on many occasions but its physical mechanisms have never been properly understood. One of the models proposed by Lewis et al shows the presence of negative differential mobility with an electric field in semi crystalline polyethylene. In this letter we have observed the negative differential mobility using the transient space charge profile measured by the pulsed electroacoustic technique. By superimposing a short pulse voltage to a dc voltage, it is possible to obtain the velocity of holes at different applied fields. To our knowledge we have for the first time observed negative differential mobility in polyethylene. This observation provides crucial evidence to support Lewis's model and allows one to simulate charge packet and its behaviours.

Mots clés: Physical Sciences

George Chen, Junwei Zhao. Observation of negative differential mobility and charge packet in polyethylene. Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 2011, 44 (21), pp.212001. ⟨10.1088/0022-3727/44/21/212001⟩. ⟨hal-00618205⟩