Dielectric relaxations of chitosan: The effect of water on the α‐relaxation and the glass transition temperature

In this work thermal relaxations of chitosan are reported by using a novel methodology that includes subtraction of the dc conductivity contribution, the exclusion of contact and interfacial polarization effects, and obtaining a condition of minimum moisture content. When all these aspects are taken into account, two relaxations are clearly revealed in the low frequency side of the impedance data. We focus on the molecular motions in neutralized and non‐neutralized chitosan analyzed by dielectric spectroscopy in the temperature range from 25 to 250 °C. Low and high frequency relaxations were fitted with the Havriliak and Negami model in the 10^?1 to 108 Hz frequency range. For the first time, the low frequency α‐relaxation associated with the glass‐rubber transition has been detected by this technique in both chitosan forms for moisture contents in the range 0.05 to 3 wt % (ca. 18–62 °C). A strong plasticizing effect of water on this primary α‐relaxation is observed by dielectric spectroscopy and is supported by dynamic mechanical analysis measurements. In the absence of water (<0.05 wt %) the α‐relaxation is obscured in the 20–70 °C temperature range by a superposition of two low frequency relaxation processes. The activation energy for the σ‐relaxation is about 80.0–89.0 kJ/mol and for β‐relaxation is about 46.0–48.5 kJ/mol and those values are in agreement with that previously reported by other authors. The non‐neutralized chitosan possess higher ion mobility than the neutralized one as determined by the frequency location of the σ‐relaxation. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 2259–2271, 2009     

Effects of different composition ratio on the dielectric relaxation and dynamic mechanical properties of poly(ω‐dodecalactam‐co‐ε‐caprolactam‐co‐propylene oxide) copolymers

The molecular dynamics of new poly (ω‐dodecalactam‐co‐ε‐caprolactam‐co‐propylene oxide) copolymers (DL/CL/PAC) has been investigated by using dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and dielectric relaxation spectroscopy (DRS) measurements. The copolymers were synthesized via anionic polymerization of relevant lactams activated with carbamoyl derivatives of telechelic hydroxyl terminated polypropylene oxide with isophorone diisocyanate (PAC). The calorimetric, X‐ray diffraction, and DMTA measurements were performed to recognize the influence of the composition ratio and the type of PAC on the physical, thermal, and mechanical properties of the synthesized copolymers. The DRS was used to study the frequency dependence of the dielectric permittivity of some isotherms from ?110 to 145 °C. Copolymerization of ε‐caprolactam with about 10 wt % ω‐dodecalactam results in a copolymer that has lower water absorption, a melting point close to that of polyamide 6 and has a high enough degree of crystallinity in respect to high storage modulus. Five dielectric relaxations have been observed in the dielectric spectra, three at lower temperature and two at higher temperature. The copolymers have two glass transition temperatures for polyamide segments and polyether blocks, indicating microphase separation in the copolymers. Other studies directed toward molecular dynamics of polyamide DL/CL/PAC copolymers have not been reported. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2010     

Evidence for the γ‐relaxation in the light scattering spectra of poly (n‐hexyl methacrylate) near the glass transition

The full range of relaxation processes present in optically pure poly‐(n‐hexyl methacrylate) (PHMA) was studied using Rayleigh–Brillouin and photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS). Brillouin shifts, linewidths, and Landau–Placzek ratios (LPR) were measured over the temperature range from ?11 to 21 °C. The Brillouin splitting and linewidth were consistent with previous studies of PHMA, but the LPR was much lower, indicating that the scattered light primarily comes from intrinsic density fluctuations. Relaxation functions of the same PHMA sample were measured using PCS over the temperature range 0.5–52.5 °C. The average relaxation times calculated from a Williams–Watts fit follow a VFT temperature dependence, with the stretching parameter β decreasing with decreasing temperature. The distribution of relaxation times reveals a merging of the α and β‐relaxations over this temperature range, and the temperature dependent width confirms that there are at least two processes with separate temperature dependences. Furthermore, there appears a process at short times in the correlation function window at low temperatures. This upturn at the fastest relaxation times is attributed to the γ‐relaxation present in higher order methacrylate polymers. The effect of the γ‐relaxation is discussed in terms of the dynamic behavior over 12 decades in time. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 1504–1519, 2005     

Relationship between the α‐ and β‐relaxation processes in amorphous polymers: Insight from atomistic molecular dynamics simulations of 1,4‐polybutadiene melts and blends

Amorphous polymers exhibit a primary (glass, or α‐) relaxation process and a low‐temperature relaxation process associated with polymer backbone motion usually referred to as the β‐relaxation process. The latter process can be observed below the glass transition temperature of the polymer and usually merges with the α‐relaxation process at temperatures somewhat above the glass transition temperature. While it is widely held that both the α‐relaxation and β‐relaxation processes are engendered by localized (segmental) motions of the polymer backbone, and that there is a strong mechanistic connection between them, the molecular mechanisms of the α‐relaxation and β‐relaxation processes in amorphous polymers are not well understood. Recently, atomistic molecular dynamics simulations of melts and blends of 1,4‐polybutadiene have provided insight into the relationship between the α‐ and β‐relaxation processes in glass‐forming polymers and an improved understanding of their molecular origins. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 627–643, 2007     

Micromechanical fast quasi‐static detection of α and β relaxations with nanograms of polymer

Micromechanical string resonators are used as a highly sensitive tool for the detection of glass transition (T_g or α relaxation) and sub‐T_g (β relaxation) temperatures of polystyrene (PS) and poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). The characterization technique allows for a fast detection of mechanical relaxations of polymers with only few nanograms of sample in a quasi‐static condition. The polymers are spray coated on one side of silicon nitride (SiN) microstrings. These are pre‐stressed suspended structures clamped on both ends to a silicon frame. The resonance frequency of the microstrings is then monitored as a function of increasing temperature. α and β relaxations in the polymer affect the net static tensile stress of the microstring and result in measureable local frequency slope maxima. T_g of PS and PMMA is detected at 91 ±2°C and 114 ±2°C, respectively. The results match well with the glass transition values of 93.6°C and 114.5°C obtained from differential scanning calorimetry of PS and PMMA, respectively. The β relaxation temperatures are detected at 30 ± 2°C and 33 ± 2°C for PS and PMMA which is in accordance with values reported in literature. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 1035–1039     

Molecular motion of polycarbonate included in γ‐cyclodextrin

Molecular motions of single polycarbonate (PC) chains threaded into crystalline γ‐cyclodextrin (γ‐CD) channels were examined using solid‐state ¹³C NMR and molecular dynamics simulations. The location of PC within the channels was confirmed by spin diffusion from a PC ¹³C label to natural‐abundance ¹³C of the γ‐CD. Rotor‐encoded longitudinal magnetization (RELM) (under 7‐kHz magic‐angle sample‐spinning conditions) was combined with multiple‐pulse ¹H‐¹H dipolar decoupling to detect large‐amplitude phenyl‐ring motion in both bulk PC and polycarbonate γ‐cyclodextrin inclusion compound (PC‐γ‐CD). The RELM results indicate that the phenyl rings in PC‐γ‐CD undergo 180° flips faster than 10 kHz just as in bulk PC. The molecular dynamics simulations show that the frequency of the phenyl‐ring flips depends on the cooperative motions of PC atoms and neighboring atoms of the γ‐CD channel. The distribution of protonated aromatic‐carbon laboratory and rotating‐frame ¹³C spin‐lattice relaxation rates for bulk PC and PC‐γ‐CD are similar but not identical. The distributions for both systems arise from site heterogeneities. For bulk PC, the heterogeneity is attributed to variations in local chain packing, and for PC‐γ‐CD the heterogeneity arises from variations in the location of the PC phenyl rings in the γ‐CD channel. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 1271–1282, 2007     

Physicochemical characterization of α‐chitin, β‐chitin,and γ‐chitin separated from natural resources

We isolated α‐chitin, β‐chitin, and γ‐chitin from natural resources by a chemical method to investigate the crystalline structure of chitin. Its characteristics were identified with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and solid‐state cross‐polarization/magic‐angle‐spinning (CP–MAS) ¹³C NMR spectrophotometers. The average molecular weights of α‐chitin, β‐chitin, and γ‐chitin, calculated with the relative viscosity, were about 701, 612, and 524 kDa, respectively. In the FTIR spectra, α‐chitin, β‐chitin, and γ‐chitin showed a doublet, a singlet, and a semidoublet at the amide I band, respectively. The solid‐state CP–MAS ¹³C NMR spectra revealed that α‐chitin was sharply resolved around 73 and 75 ppm and that β‐chitin had a singlet around 74 ppm. For γ‐chitin, two signals appeared around 73 and 75 ppm. From the X‐ray diffraction results, α‐chitin was observed to have four crystalline reflections at 9.6, 19.6, 21.1, and 23.7 by the crystalline structure. Also, β‐chitin was observed to have two crystalline reflections at 9.1 and 20.3 by the crystalline structure. γ‐Chitin, having an antiparallel and parallel structure, was similar in its X‐ray diffraction patterns to α‐chitin. The exothermic peaks of α‐chitin, β‐chitin, and γ‐chitin appeared at 330, 230, and 310, respectively. The thermal decomposition activation energies of α‐chitin, β‐chitin, and γ‐chitin, calculated by thermogravimetric analysis, were 60.56, 58.16, and 59.26 kJ mol^?1, respectively. With the Arrhenius law, ln β was plotted against the reciprocal of the maximum decomposition temperature as a straight line; there was a large slope for large activation energies and a small slope for small activation energies. α‐Chitin with high activation energies was very temperature‐sensitive; β‐Chitin with low activation energies was relatively temperature‐insensitive. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 3423–3432, 2004     

Unusual relaxation process in polybutadiene: Resolving the controversy

We report the observation of an unusual relaxation process in depolarized light scattering spectra of polybutadiene (PBD) with two different vinyl contents. The process showed up in the gigahertz frequency range with relatively mild temperature dependence and was similar to a secondary relaxation process. The most surprising observation was that the process exists even at high temperatures and does not merge with the segmental relaxation up to a temperature of 400 K (T > 2T_g). Possible mechanisms of this particular relaxation in PBD are discussed. The process is compared to the so‐called E process, double‐bond hopping process, and dielectric β process. We emphasize that this process differs from the dielectric β process, is unique for 1,4‐PBD, and has not been observed in other polymers. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 994–999, 2004     

Segmental and secondary dynamics in hydrogen‐bonded poly(4‐vinylphenol)/poly(methyl methacrylate) blends

Broadband dielectric spectroscopy was used to study the segmental (α) and secondary (β) relaxations in hydrogen‐bonded poly(4‐vinylphenol)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PVPh/PMMA) blends with PVPh concentrations of 20–80% and at temperatures from ?30 to approximately glass‐transition temperature (T_g) + 80 °C. Miscible blends were obtained by solution casting from methyl ethyl ketone solution, as confirmed by single differential scanning calorimetry T_g and single segmental relaxation process for each blend. The β relaxation of PMMA maintains similar characteristics in blends with PVPh, compared with neat PMMA. Its relaxation time and activation energy are nearly the same in all blends. Furthermore, the dielectric relaxation strength of PMMA β process in the blends is proportional to the concentration of PMMA, suggesting that blending and intermolecular hydrogen bonding do not modify the local intramolecular motion. The α process, however, represents the segmental motions of both components and becomes slower with increasing PVPh concentration because of the higher T_g. This leads to well‐defined α and β relaxations in the blends above the corresponding T_g, which cannot be reliably resolved in neat PMMA without ambiguous curve deconvolution. The PMMA β process still follows an Arrhenius temperature dependence above T_g, but with an activation energy larger than that observed below T_g because of increased relaxation amplitude. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 3405–3415, 2004     

Copolymerization of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A with γ‐butyrolactone catalyzed by ytterbium triflate: Shrinkage during curing

Diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) was cured with γ‐butyrolactone (γ‐BL) with ytterbium triflate as a catalyst. The curing was studied with differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and thermomechanical analysis. FTIR studies confirmed that four elemental reactions took place during the curing process: the formation of a spiroorthoester (SOE) by the reaction of DGEBA with γ‐BL, the homopolymerization of SOE, the homopolymerization of DGEBA, and the copolymerization of SOE and DGEBA. Moderate proportions of γ‐BL produced materials with higher glass‐transition temperatures, and the curing occurred with lower shrinkage after gelation because of the polymerization of SOE, with near‐zero shrinkage during the final stages of the curing. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 2794–2808, 2003     

Promotion of the γ‐phase of polyamide 6 in its nanocomposite with phosphate glass

The effect of tin fluorophosphate‐glass (Pglass) nanoparticles on the polyamide‐6 (PA6) matrix in Pglass/PA6 hybrids has been investigated by ¹³C solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The crystallinity determined by direct‐polarization ¹³C NMR combined with longitudinal relaxation‐time (T_1C) filtering varied between 31 and 44%. T_1C‐filtered ¹³C spectra with cross polarization clearly showed resonances of both the α‐ and γ‐crystalline phases of PA6, typically at ratios near 45:55, while the similarly processed neat polymer contained only the α‐phase. This suggests that the Pglass promotes the growth of the γ‐crystalline phase. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 857–860, 2008     

Direct current conductivity and ion motions in poly(vinyl chloride)‐poly‐1,4‐cis butadiene blends by electrical relaxation method

Ionic conduction in poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)‐poly‐1,4‐cis butadiene blends has been studied using the electrical relaxation method. Temperature dependence of direct current (dc) conductivity does not change at the glass transition of PVC but does change at higher temperatures. The shape of the frequency dispersion curve of the electric modulus in a frequency range from 0.01 to 100 Hz depends on temperature. At low temperatures, the shape of the dispersion curve is reproduced by calculation assuming the Debye decay function, whereas this is not reproduced at high temperatures. Two kinds of analysis of the dispersion curve are discussed for this complicated change in the shape of the dispersion. One is that the dispersion curve is regarded as a single process expressed by the Kohlrausch decay function, and the other is that the curve is regarded as two processes expressed by the Debye and the Kohlrausch decay functions. The observed dispersion of the electric modulus is not expressed by the single process but by the two processes. One of the two processes is characterized by the Debye decay function, and the other is characterized by the Kohlrausch decay function. The parameter of the Kohlrausch decay function for one of these processes has a value of 0.82, and this value does not depend on temperature. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 226–235, 2002     

Segmental‐ and normal‐mode dielectric relaxation of poly(propylene glycol) under pressure

Dielectric measurements were obtained on poly(propylene glycol) (molecular weight: 4000 Da) at pressures in excess of 1.2 GPa. The segmental (α process) and normal‐mode (α′ process) relaxations exhibited different pressure sensitivities of their relaxation strengths, as well as their relaxation times. Such results are contrary to previous reports, and (at least for the dielectric strength) can be ascribed to the capacity for intermolecular hydrogen‐bond formation in this material. With equation‐of‐state measurements, the relative contributions of volume and thermal energy to the α‐relaxation times were quantified. Similar to other H‐bonded liquids, temperature is the more dominant control variable, although the effect of volume is not negligible. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 3047–3052, 2003     

Viscoelastic properties and phase behavior of 12‐tert‐butyl ester dendrimer/poly(methyl methacrylate) blends

This study used refractometry, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and dielectric analysis to assess the viscoelastic properties and phase behavior of blends containing 0–20% (w/w) 12‐tert‐butyl ester dendrimer in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). Dendritic blends were miscible up through 12%, exhibiting an intermediate glass‐transition temperature (T_g; α) between those of the two pure components. Interactions of PMMA C?O groups and dendrimer N? H groups contributed to miscibility. T_g decreased with increasing dendrimer content before phase separation. The dendrimer exhibited phase separation at 15%, as revealed by Rayleigh scattering in ultraviolet–visible spectra and the emergence of a second T_g in dielectric studies. Before phase separation, clear, secondary β relaxations for PMMA were observed at low frequencies via dielectric analysis. Apparent activation energies were obtained through Arrhenius characterization. A merged αβ process for PMMA occurred at higher frequencies and temperatures in the blends. Dielectric data for the phase‐separated dendrimer relaxation (α_D) in the 20% blend conformed to Williams–Landel–Ferry behavior, which allowed the calculation of the apparent activation energy. The α_D relaxation data, analyzed both before and after treatment with the electric modulus, compared well with neat dendrimer data, which confirmed that this relaxation was due to an isolated dendrimer phase. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 39: 1381–1393, 2001     

Synthesis of polyarylacetylenes by γ‐ray‐induced polymerization of terminal alkynes. Nanostructures of ortho‐substituted derivatives

Terminal aryl alkynes RC₆H₄C?CH with substituents of different electronic properties and ring position (R = H, 4‐CF₃, 4‐OMe, 2‐CF₃, 2‐OMe, 2‐Me) were exposed to γ‐radiation (50–400 kGy) in organic solvents (hexane, 1,4‐dioxane, ethylacetate, methanol, tetrahydrofuran), at room temperature. The effects arising from substituent, solvent, dilution, and radiation dose allowed to define the conditions suitable for polymerization, which was favored in methanol at increasing dilution of the alkyne. Ortho‐substitution represented the key structural element in the substrate, and the derived polyarylacetylenes were characterized in detail, including gel permeation chromatography, thermal analysis, infrared, NMR, UV–vis, fluorescence, and scanning electron microscope spectroscopy. The results are consistent with the formation of irregular polymers mainly composed of trans‐transoid chains. Controlled aggregation of the polymers by means of an osmosis‐based procedure in solvent/non‐solvent mixtures allowed the formation of nanostructured materials, in particular of hollow nanospheres from THF/water. The methodology sets the basis for the development of γ‐rays‐induced polymerization of alkynes, in a transition metal catalyst‐free environment. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

α‐Aminoxy‐Acid‐Auxiliary‐Enabled Intermolecular Radical γ‐C(sp3)−H Functionalization of Ketones

A method for site‐specific intermolecular γ‐C(sp³)?H functionalization of ketones has been developed using an α‐aminoxy acid auxiliary applying photoredox catalysis. Regioselective activation of an inert C?H bond is achieved by 1,5‐hydrogen atom abstraction by an oxidatively generated iminyl radical. Tertiary and secondary C‐radicals thus formed at the γ‐position of the imine functionality undergo radical conjugate addition to various Michael acceptors to provide, after reduction and imine hydrolysis, the corresponding γ‐functionalized ketones.     

Grafting of polymers onto and/or from silica surface during the polymerization of vinyl monomers in the presence of γ‐ray‐irradiated silica

The effects of radicals on silica surface, which were formed by γ‐ray irradiation, on the polymerization of vinyl monomers were investigated. It was found that the polymerization of styrene was remarkably retarded in the presence of γ‐ray‐irradiated silica above 60 °C, at which thermal polymerization of styrene is readily initiated. During the polymerization, a part of polystyrene formed was grafted onto the silica surface but percentage of grafting was very small. On the other hand, no retardation of the polymerization of styrene was observed in the presence of γ‐ray‐irradiated silica below 50 °C; the polymerization tends to accelerate and polystyrene was grafted onto the silica surface. Poly(vinyl acetate) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (MMA) were also grafted onto the surface during the polymerization in the presence of γ‐ray‐irradiated silica. The grafting of polymers onto the silica surface was confirmed by thermal decomposition GC‐MS. It was considered that at lower temperature, the grafting based on the propagation of polystyrene from surface radical (“grafting from” mechanism) preferentially proceeded. On the contrary, at higher temperature, the coupling reaction of propagating polymer radicals with surface radicals (“grafting onto” mechanism) proceeded to give relatively higher molecular weight polymer‐grafted silica. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 2972–2979, 2006     

Physical characterization of poly(ω‐pentadecalactone) synthesized by lipase‐catalyzed ring‐opening polymerization

The Candida antarctica lipase B (Novozyme‐435)‐catalyzed ring‐opening polymerization of ω‐pentadecalactone in toluene was performed. Poly(ω‐pentadecalactone) [poly(PDL)] was obtained in a 93% isolated yield in 4 h with a number‐average molecular weight of 64.5 × 10³ g/mol and a polydispersity index of 2.0. The solid‐state properties of poly(PDL) were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) coupled with mass spectrometry, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), stress–strain measurements, wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction, and dynamic mechanical and dielectric spectroscopies. Poly(PDL) is a crystalline polymer that melts around 100 °C. The polyester shows good thermal stability, with a main TGA weight loss centered at 425 °C. Because of the high degree of poly(PDL) crystallinity, the glass transition (?27 °C) is revealed by relaxation techniques such as dynamic mechanical and dielectric spectroscopies, rather than by DSC. In addition to the glass transition, the viscoelastic spectrum of poly(PDL) also shows two low‐temperature secondary relaxations centered at ?130 (γ) and ?90 °C (β). They are attributed to local motions of the long methylene sequence (γ) and complex units involving water associated with the ester groups (β). The mechanical properties of poly(PDL) are typical of a hard, tough material, with an elastic modulus and yield parameters comparable to those of low‐density polyethylene. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 39: 1721–1729, 2001     

Evaluation of poly(4‐methyl‐1‐pentene) as a dielectric capacitor film for high‐temperature energy storage applications

Poly(4‐methyl‐1‐pentene) (P4MP) was characterized to evaluate its viability as a high‐temperature dielectric film for capacitors. Detailed investigation of thermal, mechanical, rheological, and dielectric properties was carried out to assess its high‐temperature performance and processability. P4MP was melt‐processable below 270 °C without degradation and application temperatures as high as 160–190 °C can be achieved. The dielectric constant and loss of melt‐processed P4MP films was comparable to biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) capacitor films, although the dielectric strength was lower. Enhancements in dielectric strength up to 250–300% were achieved via solution‐processing P4MP films, which could be easily scaled up on a roll‐to‐roll platform to yield isotropic, free‐standing films as thin as 3–5 μm. The influence of crystal structure, crystallinity, and surface morphology of these films on the dielectric properties was examined. The dielectric strength was further increased by 450% through biaxial stretching of solution‐cast films, and a Weibull breakdown field of 514 V/μm was obtained. The dielectric constant was very stable as a function of frequency and temperature and the dielectric loss was restricted to <1–2%. Overall, these results suggest that BOP4MP is a promising candidate to obtain similar energy density as a BOPP capacitor film but at much higher operating temperatures. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55, 1497–1515     

The origin of DC electrical conduction and dielectric relaxation in pristine and doped poly(3‐hexylthiophene) films

We present here the evidence for the origin of dc electrical conduction and dielectric relaxation in pristine and doped poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) films. P3HT has been synthesized and purified to obtain pristine P3HT polymer films. P3HT films are chemically doped to make conducting P3HT films with different conductivity level. Temperature (77–350 K) dependent dc conductivity (σ_dc) and dielectric constant (ε′(ω)) measurements on pristine and doped P3HT films have been conducted to evaluate dc and ac electrical conduction parameters. The relaxation frequency (f_R) and static dielectric constant (ε₀) have been estimated from dielectric constant measurements. A correlation between dc electrical conduction and dielectric relaxation data indicates that both dc and ac electrical conductions originate from the same hopping process in this system. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 1047–1053, 2010