Some polymers of high dielectric constant

A class of highly conjugated macromolecules exhibiting extraordinarily high effective dielectric constants (DK = 50–900) is described. These polymers are of the polyacene radical quinone type, are highly purified, and exhibit electronic semiconduction. The dielectric constant varies only slightly with pressure (up to 20 Kbar), but strongly with frequency (300–300,000 cps) and moderately with temperature and field strength. The latter effect of field strength on the effective dielectric constant (and on the conductivity) required the development of special measurement techniques which are described. The unusual dielectric behavior can be accounted for assuming the presence of what amounts to a thermally generated plasma of electrons and holes, each locally mobile on extended regions of associated π-orbitals on the molecules. The postulated resulting “hyperelectronic” polarization of the locally mobile charges in external fields fits the observed high magnitude of the polarizability, as well as its field, frequency, and temperature dependence.