Presented are results of experimental studies of the critical amplitude and exponent describing the behavior of the nonlinear dielectric effect on approaching the critical consolute point. Plots of the critical amplitude as a function of dielectric properties of components of binary solutions of limited miscibility show good agreement with the Goulon-Greffe-Oxtoby droplet model [J. Chem. Phys. 70, 4742 (1979)]. An analysis of temperature dependence of the critical exponent ψ suggests that an observed discrepancy between the experimental value of ψ and that predicted by the theoretical models is due to the relaxation of critical fluctuations.

• Received 16 April 1992

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.47.1445