Measurement of electrode surface effects in air capacitors using a precise Coulombmeter

A method by which air capacitor electrodes are charged with a DC voltage and then quickly discharged is described. Immediately afterwards, a very sensitive Coulombmeter is switched on to measure the additional discharging of thin dielectric films on the electrodes. The method makes possible the measurement of effects having a time constant of several milliseconds to several thousand seconds, and also enables the frequency dependence of the capacitance to be determined, even for time constants below 1 ms.<
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