Electrical Conduction Mechanisms in Ethyl Cellulose Films under DC and AC Electric Fields

This work reports the dielectric behavior of the biopolymer ethyl cellulose (EC) observed from transient currents experiments under the action of a direct current (DC) electric field (~10⁷ V/m) under vacuum conditions. The viscoelastic response of the EC was evaluated using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), observing a mechanical relaxation related to glass transition of around ~402 K. Furthermore, we propose a mathematical framework that describes the transient current in EC using a fractional differential equation, whose solution involves the Mittag–Leffler function. The fractional order, between 0 and 1, is related to the energy dissipation rate and the molecular mobility of the polymer. Subsequently, the conduction mechanisms are considered, on the one hand, the phenomena that occur through the polymer–electrode interface and, on the other hand, those which manifest themselves in the bulk material. Finally, alternating current (AC) conductivity measurements above the glass transition temperature (~402 K) and in a frequency domain from 20 Hz to 2 MHz were carried out, observing electrical conduction described by the segmental movements of the polymeric chains. Its electrical properties also position EC as a potential candidate for electrical, electronics, and mechatronics applications.