Mobilities of negative and positive charge carriers injected from metal electrodes into liquid benzene

Abstract

The influence of dissolved water on the electric current between metal electrodes in liquid benzene can be interpreted by assuming an injection of charge carriers, the mobility of which depends linearly on water content. This injection can be demonstrated by a drift method, which allows the determination of the mobility and polarity of the charge carriers in question. It will be shown that the current in dry benzene is transported by positive charge carriers, whereas additional negative carriers can be found in benzene containing dissolved water. The mobility of both types of charge carriers will be given as a function of temperature and, in the case of positive carriers, as a function of water content, too. While the negative carriers are likely to be ions, the positive carriers must be either protons or defect electrons.