The effect of temperature on the electric conductivity of poly(dimethyl siloxane) ferromagnetic gel

In this paper the influence of temperature on the electrical conductivity of a ferromagnetic gel is investigated. The material used was poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) gel which contained randomly distributed magnetite nanosized particles. The electrical conductivity was measured by means of the two-point dc method. During the heating of the PDMS in the temperature range of 295-460 K the electrical conductivity increased from about 2 × 10(-12) to 2 × 10(-8) S m(-1). A study of the current-temperature dependence obtained during subsequent heating runs revealed two subranges of temperature characterized by different activation energies. The presence of these subranges could be explained either by the liberation of two different types of charge carrier or by the increase in the degree of polymer cross-linking. In the upper temperature subrange (420-460 K) both types of charge carrier probably contribute to the electrical conductivity of PDMS ferromagnetic gel.