The study of dielectric relaxation in propylene glycol-poly(propylene glycol) mixtures

Dielectric complex permittivity of propylene glycol (PG), poly(propylene glycol) (PPG-2000) and their mixtures with concentration of 25, 50 and 75 vol% of PG were measured in the frequency range 10 MHz-4 GHz at 25°C using time domain reflectometry (TDR). For these molecules and their mixtures, only one frequency independent dielectric loss peak was observed. The relaxation for these systems is described by a single relaxation time using Debye model. The large value of observed relaxation time for PG molecules shows the formation of molecular clusters. It is found that the relaxation time for PG-PPG mixtures is smaller in comparison to the relaxation times of PG and PPG molecules, and it linearly increases with the concentration of the PG in the mixtures. The values of relaxation times of PG-PPG mixtures are discussed particularly with respect to the solvent (PG) behaviour, which can be assigned to unaffected, loosely affected and tightly bound solvent and also with respect to the PPG chain coiling. As a peculiar feature the observed relaxation time is direct evidence of the interchange of solvent-solvent to solvent-polymer interaction.