TSDC as a tool to monitor the electret state induced by water in biomolecules

TSDC (thermally stimulated depolarisation currents) technique, applied to a variety of natural and synthetic biopolymers has provided a valuable contribution to the understanding of the complex behaviour of the structured water, thanks to its high sensitivity and selectivity. Mechanisms such as noninteracting dipole reorientation, Maxwell-Wagner relaxation, protonic percolation, are envisaged as responsible for the peaks associated with water in a variety of configurations. The plastifying role played by water in macromolecular phase transitions, induced by the water network rearrangement, have been monitored through the careful analysis of the TSDC spectra. In the present paper the results obtained by different authors are reviewed.