Abstract
LDPE/metal oxide nanocomposites are promising materials for future high-voltage DC cable insulation. This paper presents data on the influence of the structure of the nanoparticle coating on the electrical conductivity of LDPE/Al 2 O 3 nanocomposites. Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles, 50 nm in size, were coated with a series of silanes with terminal alkyl groups of different lengths (methyl, w-octyl and n-octadecyl groups). The density of the coatings in vacuum was between 200 and 515 kg m−3, indicating substantial porosity in the coating. The dispersion of the nanoparticles in the LDPE matrix was assessed based on statistics for the nearest-neighbor particle distance. The electrical conductivity of the nanocomposites was determined at both 40 and 60 °C. The results show that an appropriate surface coating on the nanoparticles allowed uniform particle dispersion up to a filler loading of 10 wt.%, with a maximum reduction in the electrical conductivity by a factor of 35. The composites based on the most porous octyl-coated nanoparticles showed the greatest reduction in electrical conductivity and the lowest temperature coefficient of electrical conductivity of the composites studied.
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