Effect of absorbed water vapour on the efficiency of charged poly(vinyl acetate) thin films. III

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Abstract
The thermally stimulated discharge current of charged poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) thin films exposed for 24 h to humid atmosphere has been studied as a function of different relative humidity (RH) values. An approximately linear relationship can be established between the efficiency (charge retention) of the films and the amount of water absorbed. The relaxation time of the charge carriers and the peak temperature decreases whereas the activation energy of relaxation increases with RH. An explanation has been suggested for the observed effects, based on the idea that the absorbed water vapour in the PVAc films decreases the relaxation time of the charge carriers and forms clusters of water-polymer complexes.