Electrical behavior of poly(vinyl chloride): Wien-Onsager effect deviations from Ohm's law

An examination of electrolyte conduction in solid PVC plaques shows an enhancement in equivalent conductance in excess of that predicted by Onsager's theory of electrolyte conduction even when ion activity effects are considered. Although Onsager's theory includes Wien effect behavior, the experimental equivalent conductances were significantly in excess of the predicted values. From an examination of electrolyte conduction theory, several unique features of electrolyte flow in PVC are found which are not observed for liquid dielectrics. Based on these concepts, a qualitative explanation based on Onsager's original theory is proposed. The observed behavior is referred to as a Wien‐Onsager effect.