Dielectric spectroscopy of low-loss sugar lyophiles: II. Relaxation mechanisms in freeze-dried lactose and lactose monohydrate

Abstract This article presents an analysis of the dielectric relaxation mechanisms of the disaccharide lactose, in both the freeze-dried state and the crystalline monohydrate. Complex dielectric permittivity spectra for both forms of lactose were measured over wide ranges of frequency (0.1 Hz to 1 MHz) and temperature (−120 °C to +100 °C). The crystalline monohydrate displays a sharp peak in the temperature domain which was ascribed to the percolation of migrating protons over the surfaces of the crystals. The freeze-dried material displayed three relaxation processes. The first (γ) and second (β) processes were observed at low temperature and present as very broad relaxations with low dielectric strength. The relaxation times for both processes showed Arrhenius temperature-dependencies, with activation energies of 52 kJ/mol and 72 kJ/mol, respectively. The mechanisms of dielectric relaxation were ascribed to the motion of the pendant hydroxymethyl group and the relative motion of the pair of saccharide rings, respectively. Analysis and discussion of the third relaxation process is beyond of the scope of this article.