Better resolved low frequency dispersions by the apt use of Kramers-Kronig relations, differential operators and all-in-1 modelling

• Main Author: Jan van Turnhout
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2016-05-01
• Series: Frontiers in Chemistry
• Subjects: Spectral resolution; Electrode polarization; all-in-1modelling; KK conversion frames; logarithmic derivatives and differences; matching Debye kernels
• Online Access: http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fchem.2016.00022/full

The dielectric spectra of colloidal systems often contain a typical low frequency dispersion, which usually remains unnoticed, because of the presence of strong conduction losses. The KK relations offer a means for converting  into  data. This allows us to calculate conduction free  spectra in which the l.f. dispersion will show up undisturbed. This interconversion can be done on line with a moving frame of logarithmically spaced  data. The coefficients of the conversion frames were obtained by kernel matching and by using symbolic differential operators. Logarithmic derivatives and differences of  and  provide another option for conduction free data analysis. These difference-based functions actually derived from approximations to the distribution function, have the additional advantage of improving the resolution power of dielectric studies. A high resolution is important because of the rich relaxation structure of colloidal suspensions. The development of all-in-1 modelling facilitates the conduction free and high resolution data analysis. This mathematical tool allows the apart-together fitting of multiple data and multiple model functions. It proved also useful to go around the KK conversion altogether. This was achieved by the combined approximating  and  data with a complex rational fractional power function. The all-in-1 minimization turned out to be also highly useful for the dielectric modelling of a suspension with the complex dipolar coefficient. It guarantees a secure correction for the electrode polarization, so that the modelling with the help of the differences  and  can zoom in on the genuine colloidal relaxations.