Optimization in the Computation of Dielectric Constant of Methanol Using Debye Relaxation Method

Abstract

The Debye relaxation equation and its derivatives were used to analyze dielectric constant and loss factor of pure methanol in megahertz and gigahertz over the temperature range of 10°C to 50°C. This was done in order to ascertain which of the frequency ranges has the highest dielectric constant and least loss factor. The graphs of dielectric constant and loss factor were plotted against the frequency. The results were also used to plot Cole-Cole diagrams. The results revealed that the dielectric constant of methanol is higher at frequency 0.05 GHz and decrease as both frequency and temperature increases. However, as the frequency increases beyond 1.0 GHz the dielectric constant increase as the temperature increases. The results also showed that methanol actually formed a semi-circle which suggested that the solvent indeed exhibits Debye relaxation model. There were some discrepancies observed in the Cole-Cole plots which may just be attributed to the distribution of the relaxation times in the methanol. The researchers conclude that dielectric constant of methanol is higher in megahertz than those in gigahertz. The loss factor on the other hand was small at lower frequencies but as the frequency increases the loss factor also increases to a maximum value. The loss factor however decreased when the frequency increases after attaining its maximum.