Dielectric spectroscopy study of poly(methacrylic acid) gels

It was shown that swelling behavior of polyelectrolyte gels is determined b y the state of network counterions. In nonpolar media the ionomer regime of swelling behavior can be realized, this regime is characterized by the for mation of ion pairs and ion multiplets. Dielectric spectroscopy and conduct ivity measurements of the charged poly(methacrylic acid) gels in media rath er low polarity in the frequency range from 10(2) to 10(5) Hz were made in order to detect the appearance of ionic multiplets. Extremely high values o f dielectric dispersion for both swollen in methanol and dried gels at low frequencies can be explained by aggregation of ion pairs into multiplets wi th high polarizability. The appearance of resonance peak on the dielectric spectra of the samples under the study gives evidence of the existence of i onic aggregates mainly of the same size.