Resistivity mapping: An example of aged conducting polymer

A simple multi-contact measurement method, which can be used to map the electrical resistivity of small disc-shaped samples of conducting polymer during temperature ageing, was examined for its resolution and accuracy. The method is based on electrical impedance tomography (EIT), which is used especially in medicine to visualise boundaries between areas having different electrical resistivities. In order to eliminate experimental errors, a computer simulation was used for testing. The time series of resistivity maps were recorded during ageing of real polymer samples. The contour maps and their time development are presented graphically and discussed.