Electret thermal analysis of biopolymers

Abstract

The structure of biopolymers such as blood, cologne, proteins & carbohydrates are more complex than synthetic polymers. The understanding of electret state in these polymers requires the knowledge of physics, biochemistry, biology etc. These complete multidisciplinary areas of research have immense possibility to bring several information and address the importance of upcoming technology based upon biological molecules. The term electret refers to the presence of quasi-permanent real charges on the surface or in the bulk of the substance, or frozen-in aligned dipoles in the bulk. Thus it becomes essential to study the dielectric properties of biopolymers to analyze electret state. This paper deals with absorption, electret thermal analysis (ETA), and electrical conductivity spectra under different conditions of sample preparation. The spontaneous current spectra show two peaks lies in 45 ± 5 °C and 70 ± 5 °C, respectively. Different peaks obtained in the ETA study tailor the dielectric relaxation mechanism responsible for charge transfer, charge trapping, and overall electrical behaviour of starch. These studies suggest that the level of absorption, both initially and during heating, could be controlled by incorporating appropriate food grade molecules that can tailor the conduction heat transfer in various formulated foods.