Correlation between electrical conduction and mechanical deformation induced by an electrical field to PET

In this work, we studied the mechanical and electric responses induced by the application of an electrical field to a solid organic insulator, the polyethylene terephthalate. The mechanical studies were carried out by a quantification of mechanical deformations induced by an electrical field using an optical technique non-destructive and any without physical contact. It is a technique that is based on the tracking of four spots present on the surface of a gold-metallized sample. Furthermore, the electrical studies were carried out by isochronously measurements of the electrical conduction currents. Field dependencies of both the deformation and the current highlights in each case two kinetics of evolution corresponding to two regions of induced deformation and conduction current, weaker and stronger. The obviousness of the correlation of the mechanisms associated with the both types of measurements, mechanical and electrical, is discussed.