Isothermal Surface Potential Decay Measurements Research Articles

Improvement of partial discharge resistance of polypropylene under AC voltage by blending elastomer

This paper reports on the partial discharge (PD) erosion characteristics of polypropylene (PP)/elastomer blends where ethylene-octene copolymer elastomer (EOC) and propylene-based elastomer are involved. The PD erosion is performed through a pair of needle-to-plane electrodes by applying 5 kV AC voltage for 2 h. A high-frequency current transformer, optical recorder, and ozone sensor are used to capture the information released during the PD erosion process. In addition, a 3D optical profilometer is employed to record the erosion profile, from which the erosion depth and the surface roughness can be extracted. Carrier trap distribution is derived from the isothermal surface potential decay measurement. The influences of elastomer type and content on the PD resistance are analyzed. The results show that the resistance is improved with the addition of elastomer, and the blend containing EOC of 20 wt% has the best PD resistance among all samples, which is 61.9% higher than that of the pure PP. It is proposed that the carrier trap characteristics, the property of elastomer, and the free volume in the material play important roles in the improvement of the PD resistance. This work provides a potential method to enhance the PD resistance of PP by blending elastomer with proper type and content.

Effects of nanofiller and voltage stabilizer on partial discharge resistance of polypropylene/elastomer blends: A comparison study

AbstractThis paper reports on the individual and synergistic influence mechanisms of nano‐silica (SiO2) and voltage stabilizers on partial discharge (PD) resistance of polypropylene blended with ethylene‐octene copolymer elastomer. The SiO2 nanoparticles and three types of voltage stabilizers, that is, benzoin, 4,4′‐dimethoxybenzil, and 3‐aminobenzoic acid are selected as fillers to prepare samples. PD is initiated in a rod‐to‐plane electrode system with an alternating current voltage of 5 kVrms. PD characteristics are captured with multi‐sensors, and the erosion profile of the test sample is measured using a three‐dimensional (3D) optical profilometer. Carrier trap distribution is extracted with isothermal surface potential decay measurement to assist the analysis of PD eroding material. Fourier transform infrared spectrum, scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction spectrum, and differential scanning calorimetry analysis are performed to reveal the change in material structures caused by the fillers. Test results indicate that the PD resistance of the blend can be improved by the addition of nano‐SiO2 and voltage stabilizers individually and synergistically. The PD resistance of PO is increased by 71.2% at most in the sample with 3 wt% nano‐SiO2 addition. The sample filled with SiO2 exhibits better PD resistance than that with the voltage stabilizer or co‐added, which should be ascribed to the introduction of deep traps, the formation of the packaged layer, the suppression of oxygen diffusion of the nanofillers, and the good compatibility between additives and the polymer matrix.

Filler concentration effect on breakdown strength and trap level of epoxy resin–Al2O3 nanocomposites

In this work, epoxy resin samples incorporated with nano-Al2O3 of various concentrations 0, 1, 3 and 5 wt% were prepared. Surface treatment of nano-Al2O3 was performed by the saline coupling agent of γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (KH550) to restrict the aggregation. The thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) of the epoxy resin/Al2O3 nanocomposites was observed at different filler concentrations. TGA analysis indicated that incorporation of nano-Al2O3 increases the decomposition temperature as compared to pure epoxy resin. Moreover, 3 wt% filler concentration showed increased decomposition temperature because nanoparticles form close connections between molecules due to which thermal stability improved at higher temperatures. Atomic force microscopy was employed for the surface morphology of epoxy resin/Al2O3 nanocomposites which has indicated that surface roughness of epoxy resin/Al2O3 nanocomposites increased slightly with the filler concentration. The distribution of trap energy and trap density obtained by isothermal surface potential decay measurements revealed that 1 wt% filler concentration results in decrease in surface potential decay rate. In addition, significant increase in deep trap energy level and trap density was obvious at 1 wt% filler concentration. AC and DC breakdown strength of the samples was measured to evaluate the effect of filler concentrations on the electrical characteristics of epoxy resin. The results showed that breakdown strength of the epoxy resin/Al2O3 nanocomposites increases with the nano-Al2O3 concentration. Moreover, increase in trap energy results in an increase in the breakdown strength of the nanoparticles.

Electrical tree in silicone rubber: Roles of silicone grease and switching impulses

This study investigates the characteristics of electrical trees in silicone rubber (SiR) samples after soaking in silicone grease (SG) for various times and exposed to switching impulses. The results show that the tree initiation probability increases from 60 to 100 % after SG soaking for 340 h when the impulse amplitude is 38 kV and the tree fractal dimension increases from 1.16 to 1.45. A similar trend is observed under negative impulse. It is suggested that SG soaking leads to a higher tree initiation probability and a larger tree fractal dimension. In addition, isothermal surface potential decay measurements are employed to obtain the trap parameters of SiR samples. Equilibrium swelling procedures are used to test the crosslinking density. The energy level and density of deep trap both decrease with SG soaking time, which is beneficial for the transport of charge carriers injected from the needle tip and further results in more severe scission of SiR molecular chains. Moreover, the expansion of free volume originating from the broken physical crosslinking structure allows more violent impact ionization of charges to occur, which can also aggravate the scission of SiR molecular chains. Therefore, the decreased tree resistance can be found in SiR after SG soaking. Furthermore, the polarity effects can be observed during the tree initiation and propagation process, which are mainly rooted in the different distribution of hole­type and electron-type traps.

Temperature and trap distribution dependence of electrical tree growth characteristics in polypropylene/elastomer blends for recyclable cable insulation

Polypropylene (PP)/elastomer blends as a promising cable insulation material have to face the challenge of electrical treeing which possibly leads to unexpected insulation failure. In this work, two types of elastomers, i.e. polyolefin elastomer and propylene-based elastomer, have been blended into isotactic PP. Effects of the elastomer content and type on electrical treeing behaviours have been investigated under different ambient temperatures. Isothermal surface potential decay measurement has been performed to explore the influence of trap distribution on the treeing behaviour, scanning electron microscope and differential scanning calorimetry measurements were performed to characterise the structure of blends. It was found that with the increase of elastomer content, the trap energy level was reduced and the shallow trap density was increased, which resulted in the enhancement of the tree growth rate and the decrease in the breakdown time. With the temperature changing from 20 to 100°C, the growth rate tended to be increased except that an anomalous reduction in the rate occurred at 80°C. It is suggested that the compatibility between PP matrix and elastomer plays an important role in determining the morphology of blends, which in turn influences the trap distribution and the temperature dependent treeing behaviours.

Charge transport in low density polyethylene based micro/nano-composite with improved thermal conductivity

In this work, effect of nano-sized SiO2 and micro-sized hexagon boron nitride (h-BN) on charge transport behavior of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) has been investigated. LDPE based micro-nanocomposites samples were prepared through hot-press method by adding 20 nm-SiO2 and 5 µm-h-BN as the fillers. Isothermal surface potential decay measurement was carried out with sample temperature of 40 °C and relative humidity of 23%–29% to obtain trap depth, carrier mobility and field dependent conductivity, by which the effect of fillers on charge transport manners could be estimated. In addition, thermal conductivity test, scanning electron microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry had been employed to assist the analysis of the filler effect. Test results indicated that the crystal structure of LDPE was changed by the doping of the fillers. With the increase of the micro- and nano-filler content, the trap depth tended to be deeper firstly then became shallower. Both band and hopping transport of charge occurred in the composite, and the carrier mobility was dependent upon the filler content. It is suggested that the addition of the nano-sized SiO2 and the micro-sized h-BN particles has an effect to inhibit the charge transport, where a synergistic effect among the nano-sized and the micro-sized particles is expected to modify charge trapping and de-trapping behavior.

Trap Distribution and Dielectric Breakdown of Isotactic Polypropylene/Propylene Based Elastomer With Improved Flexibility for DC Cable Insulation

In this paper, we report on electrical and mechanical properties of isotactic polypropylene (PP) blended with polyolefin elastomer (POE) and propylene-based elastomer (PBE). Carrier trap distribution of the samples was estimated by isothermal surface potential decay measurement, while dc breakdown strength was measured through a pair of semicircle electrodes. Elongation at break and tensile strength were obtained to examine the variation in mechanical property of PP caused by the addition of elastomers. Furthermore, scanning electron microscope (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) have been employed to assist the understanding of morphology of the blends, thermal properties, and mechanical properties. Obtained results have indicated that with the increase of the elastomer content from 0 to 30 wt%, the trap depth appeared to be shallower and the dc breakdown strength tended to be reduced for both PP/PBE and PP/POE samples. Compared with PP/POE blend, PP/PBE blend had deeper trap depth, which should be responsible for its higher dc breakdown strength. In addition, PP/PBE blend has presented a better performance in elongation at break and tensile strength measurement. With the growth of the elastomer content, the crystallinity of the blends appeared to decrease, whereas the melting and the crystallization temperatures did not change remarkably. The SEM inspections and DMA results revealed better compatibility between PP and PBE compared with that between PP and POE, which should be the reason for the better electrical and mechanical properties of PP/PBE blend. The blend of PBE with low content could result in remarkably improved flexibility of PP with acceptable electrical strength for dc cable insulation.

Fluorinated aromatic polyimides as high-performance electret materials.

In view of the increasing significance of technology-driven devices such as microelectromechanical systems, energy-harvesting devices, and organic field effect transistors, polymer electret materials with durable electret performance at elevated temperatures become more and more important. However, typical polymer electret materials lose their performance at elevated temperatures. To provide polymer materials with improved electret performance over a broad temperature range, a series of aromatic polyimides with different degree of fluorosubstitution is presented. Isothermal surface potential decay measurements at elevated temperatures reveal that minor differences in the chemical structure have a major influence on the electret behavior. The best performance is found for the polyimide containing a hexafluoroisopropylidene moiety in both the bisanhydride- and the diamine-based unit. Excellent long-term charge storage stability at 120 °C is observed. From the initial surface charge 94% remains after 24 h. This polyimide even tolerates short-term exposure of 30 s at 300 °C with almost no loss of performance. These findings demonstrate that this particular polyimide is suitable for device applications at elevated temperatures during fabrication and use.

Electret Properties of Polyetherimides: Influence of Water Content and Comparison with Other High‐Temperature Polymer Films

AbstractIn this comparative study, the charge storage performance of commercial high‐temperature polymer films was evaluated and correlated with their chemical structure. Isothermal surface potential decay measurements after annealing periods at 90 °C revealed that amorphous polyetherimide (PEI) films showed the best charge storage behavior. Polyimide films showed reduced charge storage performance, whereas sulfur‐containing polymer films are not suitable as electrets due to their fast charge decay. Additionally, the effect of water content in PEI films in the range of 0.02–0.79 wt.‐% was studied. Increasing amounts of water decreased the charge storage properties proportionally, but only by a relatively smaller amount: the highest investigated water content of 0.79 wt.‐% reduced the charge by only 30%.magnified image

Charge storage and its dynamics in porous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film electrets

The outstanding space charge storage stability of porous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film electrets is studied by isothermal surface potential decay measurements and open-circuit thermally stimulated discharge (TSD) experiments after corona charging at room and elevated temperatures, or corona charging at RT and then aging at different temperatures. Charge storage properties of porous PTFE, nonporous PTFE (Teflon/spl reg/ PTFE) and nonporous FEP (Teflon/spl reg/ FEP) electrets are compared. The results show that porous PTFE has the best charge storage stability of organic materials for both negative and positive charges, especially at high temperatures. The structure of porous PTFE, investigated by a scanning electron microscope (SEM), is important for understanding the electret properties of this material. Charge dynamics, including the influence of environmental humidity and temperature on charge stability and shift of mean charge depth, and the kinetics of detrapped charges for the porous PTFE film electrets were also investigated by means of isothermal surface potential decay measurements and analysis of the TSD current spectra in combination with the heat pulse technique. It is found that from about RT to 200/spl deg/C slow retrapping plays a dominant role; from about 200/spl deg/C to 300/spl deg/C fast retrapping controls the transport.

Improvement of remanent polarization stability in vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene copolymers

The P(VDF/TrFE) (VDF/TrFE=72/28, PIEZOTECH, France) films were prepared by casting a methvethvlketone (MEK) solution on glass substrate and polarized by using different methods. The surface potential decay of P(VDF/TrFE) films as a function of polarizing temperature was measured. Mean charge depths including space and dipole charges along the thickness of the films were investigated by thermal pulse technique. The remanent polarization in P(VDF/TrFE) was stabilized by trapping space charges on or near the free surface in a double-layered film. The influence of space charge layer near the free surface on the remanent polarization was studied by means of isothermal surface potential decay measurement and TSD (Thermally Stimulated Discharge) experiment.

Determination of the very low-frequency characteristics of dielectric materials: A surface potential approach

A new approach using surface potential measurements for low-frequency characterization of dielectric materials is proposed. In fact, isothermal surface potential decay measurements are often used to characterize both surface and bulk properties of dielectric materials. A lot of work has been devoted to correlate these potential decays to physical mechanisms, when superficial conductivities can be neglected. In most cases, charge injection has been considered; however, following either sample thicknesses or low applied electric field, these decays may be related to the absorption current of the material. A close correlation relating the derivative of the surface potential to the absorption current is established. The frequency characterization is then achieved using Fourier transformation. In order to validate it, this method is applied to different kinds of material such as coatings or epoxy based composites. It allows one to determine, for composite materials, the existence of very low-frequency relaxation associated with interfacial phenomena. A final validation is achieved using the Kamers–Kronig test. This new approach provides the study of the reinforcement morphology or volume fraction on the permittivity spectra. It may also be used in different physical fields. An example concerning corrosion detection is given but this technique may also be applied in the study of electrical aging.