Thermal step and TSDC measurement in PVC

The space charge behavior of some polyvinylchloride (PVC) samples with different molecular microstructures, obtained through chemical modification of PVC has been analyzed by means of the thermal step (TS) and the thermally stimulated discharge current (TSDC) techniques. The magnitude of the space charge distribution has been shown to be lower as the degree of chemical modification increases. Combining the TS and the TSDC methods allowed us to study minority carriers, which could not be observed by a single TS measurement.