Dielectric Behavior of Polyelectrolyte Solutions: The Role of Proton Fluctuation.

The dielectric properties of chitosan in aqueous solutions have been measured as a function of the degree of ionization in the frequency range from 1 kHz to 10 MHz. The dielectric spectra have been analyzed in terms of two contiguous dispersions described by a Cole-Cole and Debye relaxation function. The dependence of the dielectric parameters (dielectric increments and relaxation frequencies) on the degree of ionization cannot be understood simply as a result of polarization of the ionic atmosphere around the polyion, on the basis of the polyelectrolytic counterion fluctuation model