Current Transients in Potassium Chloride

Abstract

A PRELIMINARY investigation has been carried out of current transients in potassium chloride at 150° C. The specimens used were single crystals of AnalaR grade, supplied by Hilger and Watts, Ltd.—the slab size being about 2.5 cm square and 0.4 cm thick. Into each slab a flat-bottomed cylindrical recess of 0.5 cm diameter was drilled and the thickness reduced by polishing on a Selvyt cloth moistened with water. Final thicknesses of specimens lay in the range 0.01–0.02 cm. Silver paint was used as electrodes, and the specimen and its spring-loaded contacts were enclosed in a well-insulated thermostatically controlled chamber in which the temperature was maintained at 150° ± 1° C. The pulse generator used provided linearly rising voltage transients of variable rise time and amplitude. The displacement current to the crystal was balanced by adjusting a variable air condenser in parallel with the specimen and feeding the output voltages from the measuring resistor in series with the crystal and from the balancing resistor in series with the condenser to the differential amplifier of a Tektronix type 502A. oscilloscope. The following is a summary of our observations.