Investigation of the trap states in quenched and annealed nylon 6 films using thermally stimulated depolarization current

Quenched and annealed nylon 6 films were prepared and their short-circuit thermally stimulated depolarization current (TSDC) has been measured using a modified thermal electric analyzer. The space charge peak in the temperature range of 90°C∼180°C observed in the TSDC spectra of different samples showed that the trap state of the films shifted to lower temperature as annealing time increased. In general, the trap state became shallower in the annealed sample. The result was consistent with the structural transition of quenched β form to annealed α form. FTIR spectrum and X-ray diffraction were also used to examine the transition. According to the analysis of the phase transition, structural origin of the TSDC peaks has been proposed.