Dielectric Materials
Dielectric Materials
Dielectric Materials
Basic Questions
What is a dielectric? Can dielectrics be affected by electric field? If the dielectrics are indeed insulators and do not conduct electricity, then, Why there is an electrical effect ?
Dielectrics
Conductors have unlimited supply of electrons which are not associated with any particular nucleus but roam around at will. In dielectrics, by contrast, all charges are attached to specific atom/molecule and all they can do is move a little bit within the molecule. The cumulative effects of such microscopic displacement account for the characteristic behavior of dielectric materials. These materials can sustain an electric field but do not conduct electric current. There are two principle mechanism by which electric field can distort the charge distribution of a dielectric atom or molecule: 1. Stretching 2. Rotating
Induced Dipoles
On applying electric field on neutral nonpolar atom, positive and negative charge centers are shifted with respect to each other.
The two opposing forces 1. E- pulling the electrons and nucleus apart 2. Their mutual attraction reach a balance, leaving the atom polarized with a dipole moment
This constant of proportionality () is known as atomic polarisability. Its value depends on the structure of the atom. This is the charge distribution by stretching in nonpolar molecules of dielectrics (Net dipole moment is zero in the absence of Electric field, ) on applying electric field. Now question arises, What will happen to polar molecules of dielectrics.
Polarization
(Dipole moment per unit volume )
Problem 1
Problem 2
measures how effective an electric field is in polarizing the material. This constant is found to be independent of the shape or the dimensions of the capacitor and is solely a characterstic of the particular dielectric medium used.
C = r or k Co
k = r = n
where = o r = o k
Problem 1
Problem 2
d)
r r (1) Where E is the field in dielectric medium and P is polarization. r Since D depends only on the external sources producing the
external field and is completely unaffected by the polarization of the medium, i.e. in free space, where there is no dielectric and r r r thus P = 0 we have D = E (2) 0 0 r r r From (1) and (2) 0 E 0 = 0 E + P r r r P E = E0
r r r D = 0E + P
This equation shows that the effect of the polarization is to modify the field inside the medium (2) can also be written as r r r D = 0 ( r E ) = E where = 0 r
r r P = 0E
r = 1+
Problem 1
Problem 2
Problem 1