| Abstract: | Absorption measurements at millimeter-wave frequencies (50–151 GHz) are reported for dried and hydrated polyamide-6. The measurements were extended over the temperature range from liquid helium to room temperature using the oversized-cavity technique. For dried polyamide-6 (water content ≤ 0.5% w/w), a nearly linear increase with frequency and an exponential increase with temperature of the absorption coefficient is found between 50 and 300 K. This frequency and temperature dependence is described by relaxation processes in asymmetric double-well potentials. The observed relaxation times are on a picosecond time scale, thus suggesting an assignment to the NH…OC hydrogen bonds and the adjacent peptide unit (O?C? N? H). Hydration results in an increase of the absorption over the whole temperature and frequency range. This is attributed to the fact that the water of hydration is adsorbed in the neighborhood of the hydrogen bonds and changes their dynamical properties. This interpretation is supported by IR-spectroscopic measurements of the shift of amide I and amide II after hydration. |
