Field distribution in nitrobenzene using the Kerr effect

Electric field distributions have been measured in nitrobenzene using the Kerr electro-optical effect. Both metal and composite electrodes have been used to investigate their charge-injection properties. From the field-distribution measurements it has been shown that positive injection readily occurs when two metal electrodes are used with a space charge near the cathode. When two dissimilar electrodes are used (composite and metal), injection from the composite electrode is always suppressed in comparison with the injection from the metal electrode, this phenomenon being independent of polarity. From the space-charge thickness, estimates of mobility are 1·33 cm²v⁻¹s⁻¹ for the positive carriers and 0·28 cm²v⁻¹s⁻¹ for the negative carriers.