The effect of electrode-polymer interfacial layers on polymer conduction

Negative resistance in ultrathin (10 to 100 nm) polymer specimens has been reported from experimental observations on single crystals of polyethylene [1]. Although one author ascribed the phenomenon to the electrode setup rather than the film, the negative resistance was confirmed by later workers [3], also in single crystals — A similar behavior was reported for thicker slabs [4] and at much higher applied voltages. A suggestion was made [5] that the phenomenon might be quite common, and dependent on the field.