Diffusion, static charges, and the conduction of electricity in nonmetallic solids by a single charge carrier. I. Electric charges in plastics and insulating materials

Abstract

The dynamic equilibrium of space charge in insulators such as ceramics, molecular crystals, or high polymers, is considered from the thermodynamic point of view with quantum-mechanical boundary conditions. The treatment constitutes the opposite extreme from the usual ohmic conduction equations; in the first paper, only the zero-current equilibrium of charge is considered. Applications are made to the observed charging of high polymers during molding.