Surface Potential Decay Measurements Research Articles

Investigation of charge dynamics in the corona‐aged silicone rubber alumina nanocomposite

AbstractThe effect of corona aging on the surface potential dynamics and charge trap characteristics of silicone rubber alumina nanocomposite are examined using surface potential decay measurement. The aging was carried out by exposing the specimens to corona stress generated by a high‐frequency AC multi needle‐plane electrode system. The results show that the addition of alumina filler increases the surface potential decay time and maximum trap energy. A reduction in trap depth is observed with the corona aging, and the addition of alumina filler limits the degradation and change in charge trap distribution. The results of an analysis of the space charge behavior of different nanocomposites and their comparison are presented. The space charge variation analysis was carried out under the applied electric field of 20 kV/mm at room temperature using the pulsed electro‐acoustic technique (PEA). Based on the results, the charge density, electric field, and charge trap distribution were deduced. It is concluded that the space charge concentration and enhancement in the electric field of the aged material increases with aging duration and it is maximum in the case of 60 min corona‐aged pure silicone rubber. Analysis of the recovery of the charge dynamics of the sample after corona discharges at the different time intervals shows that the recovery of trap distribution is faster for a virgin sample and slower for the sample with 5 wt% of alumina.

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.

On the injected charge distribution and discharge currents in the dielectric films for MEMS capacitive switches

The present work attempts to provide a different approach to understand the distribution of injected charge in Si-rich SiN films that find application in MEMS capacitive switches. The study employs Thermally-Stimulated-Depolarization-Current measurements to calculate the collected charge dependence on film thickness and show that the injected charge distribution is different from simulated ones. Moreover, employing Kelvin Probe surface potential decay measurements calculates the discharge current towards the film surfaces and bulk as well as their dependence on material stoichiometry.

DC Flashover Performance of GIS Spacers Fluorinated at Different Temperatures

In order to verify the effectiveness of direct fluorination in improving the dc flashover performance of gas insulated switchgear (GIS) actual spacers and explore the effect of fluorination conditions, 126-kV disk spacers were surface fluorinated in the laboratory at the different temperatures of 35 °C, 55 °C, or 80 °C. The evaluation of surface physicochemical characteristics and basic electrical properties of the fluorinated disk spacers are realized by using the epoxy samples of the same material and simultaneously fluorinated with the disk spacers. Flashover tests indicate that direct fluorination significantly increases the dc flashover voltage of the actual spacer in SF <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">6</sub> gas and reduces the dispersion of flashover voltage, fluorination temperature has a significant effect on the enhancement of the flashover voltage, and the fluorination at higher temperatures can produce a larger improvement in the flashover performance. In addition, these fluorinated spacers can withstand heat treatment at 120 °C, with unchanged flashover performance. Infrared analysis and scanning electron microscopy observation show that the fluorination at different temperatures changes surface chemistry of the disk spacer substantially, forming the fluorinated layers with different thicknesses, compositions, and structures. Measurements of surface conductivity and surface potential decay consistently show that direct fluorination increases surface conduction of the spacer, and the fluorination at higher temperatures leads to a more significant increase in surface conduction. The improvement in dc flashover performance, caused by direct fluorination, is mainly attributed to the suppression of surface charge accumulation by the increase in surface conduction of the spacer.

Deep Well Trapping of Hot Carriers in a Hexagonal Boron Nitride Coating of Polymer Dielectrics.

Polymer dielectrics can be cost-effective alternatives to conventional inorganic dielectric materials, but their practical application is critically hindered by their breakdown under high electric fields driven by excited hot charge carriers. Using a joint experiment-simulation approach, we show that a 2D nanocoating of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) mitigates the damage done by hot carriers, thereby increasing the breakdown strength. Surface potential decay and dielectric breakdown measurements of hBN-coated Kapton show the carrier-trapping effect in the hBN nanocoating, which leads to an increased breakdown strength. Nonadiabatic quantum molecular dynamics simulations demonstrate that hBN layers at the polymer-electrode interfaces can trap hot carriers, elucidating the observed increase in the breakdown field. The trapping of hot carriers is due to a deep potential well formed in the hBN layers at the polymer-electrode interface. Searching for materials with similar deep well potential profiles could lead to a computationally efficient way to design good polymer coatings that can mitigate breakdown.

A Comparative Study of Gas-phase Fluorination and Nano-Al2O3 Doping on Space Charge Behavior and Trap Level in Epoxy Resin

In this work, the effect of gas-phase fluorination concurrent with nano-Al <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> O <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sub> doping on space charge distribution, as well as trap level and density of epoxy resin, is investigated. Epoxy resins with different concentrations of Al2O3 nano-fillers (0, 1, 3, and 5 wt%) are prepared and fluorinated by a gas mixture of F2/N2 (20/80 v/v) for 30 min at 40 °C and 0.05 MPa. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirms the breakage of molecular-chain during the gas-phase fluorination process. The space charge behavior is observed by the pulsed electroacoustic (PEA) method before and after fluorination. PEA results indicate that 30-minute fluorination is useful against space charge injection into the bulk of epoxy resin/Al <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> O <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sub> nanocomposites. The trap density and trap energy level distribution are determined by isothermal surface potential decay (ISPD) measurement. The results indicate that fluorination introduces shallow traps on the surface, which can increase the conductivity of surface, and, thus, the trap depth is considerably reduced after fluorination. Moreover, it is found that incorporating 1 wt% nano-Al <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> O <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sub> particles into epoxy resin can level up the energy level of deep traps. However, further increasing the nano-Al <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> O <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sub> concentration, e.g., 3 and 5 wt%, promises the overlap of interaction zones between polymer matrix and nanoparticles, reducing the trap energy level.

Semolina extraction from wheat bran using an electro‐separation process

The present paper is aimed at studying the improvement of the semolina extraction from durum wheat grains through a recycling of wheat bran, as a by-product, issued from traditional milling and sieving. Abrasion of the wheat bran and then electro-statically separating obtained components allowed a recovery of a significant amount of semolina, reaching 50% of the treated mass. Three components were obtained after separation, namely, semolina, fine bran, and relatively big bran. The electrostatic characterization, including surface potential decay and charge measurement, showed a clear conductive character with a slight difference between components in terms of charge conservation. This electric conductive behavior of the wheat bran leads to choose an induction-type electrostatic separator to extract residual semolina from the grinding process. The design of experiments methodology was used to study the influence of the main parameters: the applied high voltage, the conveyor speed, and the speed of the rotating part. The process was optimized taking into consideration both the quantity and quality of the recovered semolina, targeting a high recovery rate with the best possible quality. The physical and chemical analysis showed a good quality of the recovered semolina with 1.1% ash content. Practical applications The wheat milling process in an industrial installation passes through several steps that are optimized to extract maximum semolina from grains. However, still a residual endosperm stays attached to the bran due to the process itself. Literature estimates wheat bran around 15% of the grain, which can be an important quantity taking into account the huge amount of cereal produced and consumed around the world. The suggested complementary process aims at the extraction of residual semolina attached to wheat bran through treating wheat bran by abrasion and later separate obtained components using and an electrostatic field. Obtained results, showed that treating wheat bran using the suggested method allows recovery of around 50% as semolina from the treated quantity. So, this reduces thrown wheat bran quantity to the half, which is important from an industrial point of view since it increases the production from the same wheat quantity.

Characteristics and electrical properties of polyimide films fluorinated for different durations

Surface fluorination of polyimide films was conducted for different durations (30, 60, and 90 min) in a laboratory vessel using an F2/N2 gas mixture containing 12.5 % F2 by volume. The differences in the structural, morphology, wettability, surface free energy, and electrical properties of the fluorinated polyimide films were systematically studied to assess the effects of fluorination and fluorination time, and to investigate the relationship between the surface electrical properties and surface physicochemical properties. The obtained results indicated that fluorination cracked the film surface, with the number of cracks increasing with increasing fluorination time. Fluorination also enhanced the surface wettability and polarity. Surface conductivity and surface potential decay measurements consistently showed that the surface-fluorinated samples had a higher surface conductivity than unfluorinated samples, and that the surface potential rapidly decayed because the surface conductivity increased with enhanced water adsorption on the surface. The increased occurrence of surface cracks, as well as enhanced polarity and surface conductivity of the films, were mainly attributed to the increase in the degree of chain scission that occurred with increasing fluorination time.

Effect of microcapsules doping on DC flashover and trap level of self-healing epoxy resin composites

Minor physical defects can decrease the dielectric efficiency of epoxy resin and severely threaten the electrical device’s dependability. Self-healing may be considered an effective method to preserve the electrical and mechanical properties of the epoxy resin. Besides, self-healing significantly decreases the influence of small physical destruction on the power system. In this research, epoxy resin incorporated with various concentration of microcapsules was prepared. The polyurea formaldehyde (PUF) microcapsules were treated using a silane coupling agent (KH550) to enhance dispersion. Moreover, the self-healing performance of the epoxy resin incorporated with microcapsules was analyzed by FTIR, SEM, and DC Flashover in air and vacuum. In addition, trap energy and trap density were obtained from measurements of surface potential decay (ISPD). The SEM results indicate that in comparison with pure epoxy resin, the microcapsule/epoxy resin composite has an improved self-healing performance. The DC Flashover of epoxy resin in air and vacuum was found relatively higher after incorporation of microcapsules than pure epoxy resin. The distribution of trap energy and trap density measured by surface potential decay measurements confirms that 5 wt% have deeper traps and the highest trap energy levels.

Traps energy distribution in Kapton HN polyimide films through surface potential decay model under humidity conditions

In this paper, an experimental study and analysis of the effects of environmental relative humidity (RH %) on the transport mechanisms of electrical charges in 50 μm thick Kapton HN polyimide (PI) films have been presented. The evolution of the surface potential decay with time after negative corona charge deposition have been investigated and analyzed by examining the tdV/dt characteristics to straightly obtain information about trap energy distribution in PI films for different relative humidity levels (35, 50, 70 and 90%). The calculating method of trap energy distribution is based on the double exponential fitting analysis of surface potential decay measurements. Two peaks were observed in the trap charge density distribution curve with trap levels, which is agreed with the presence of the shallow and deep traps. The results indicate that for different charging voltage levels, the surface potential decays faster in humid air (RH = 90%) than in relatively dry ones (RH = 35%). The recorded corona charging current confirms the interpretation of surface potential decay measurements. In addition, the density and depths of both shallow and deep traps change with charging voltage and relative humidity levels. Both shallow and deep trap distribution moves towards lower energy levels, indicating an increase in the film's electrical conductivity.

On the crosslinking temperature dependence of charge transport behavior in XLPE film deduced from surface potential decay measurements

The effect of crosslinking temperature on charge transport behavior in crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) film has been investigated by means of surface potential decay measurements. 200 μm-thick XLPE specimens were prepared by hot-molding low density polyethylene (LDPE) by adding dicumyl peroxide (DCP) as crosslinking agent and phenolic antioxidant with temperatures ranging from 150 to 180 °C. Surface potentials on corona-charged samples were monitored by using a Kelvin type probe equipped with an electrostatic voltmeter, based on which trap distribution, effective charge mobility and field dependent conductivity were estimated. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrum and Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) analysis were employed to examine the change in chemical structure and crystal morphology of test samples. Results obtained show that the charge transport dynamics is cross-linking temperature and polarity dependent. With the rise of the crosslinking temperature, the mobility of positive charge increases monotonously from 1.05 × 10−16 m2V−1s−1 to 5.42 × 10−15 m2V−1s−1, whereas the mobility of negative charge shows a fall-and-rise tendency that a minimum value of 1 × 10−16 m2V−1s−1 appears at 160 °C. A single trap center for electron is observed at any test sample. However, as regards to hole, a double-trap-center feature tends to appear as the temperature exceeds 160 °C. Moreover, with the increase of the crosslinking temperature, the conductivity of sample becomes field dependent. It is suggested that the variation of charge transport behavior should be ascribed to the presence of by-products as well as the crystallinity change caused by the temperature.

DC Breakdown and Surface Potential Behavior of Epoxy/Al2O3 Nanocomposites at Cryogenic Temperature

For high temperature superconducting (HTS) dc cables, one key issue is the necessity of using polymer dielectrics with higher dielectric strength at cryogenic temperature in liquid nitrogen. Nanocomposites have played an important role in improving the dielectric properties of epoxy resin (EP). This article investigates on the dc breakdown strength and the surface potential behavior of the epoxy/Al2O3 nanocomposites (0, 1, 3, 5 wt%) at the room and cryogenic temperatures. Moreover, the trap distributions are analyzed from the surface potential decay (SPD) measurement. The possible effect of the trap distributions on the dc breakdown strength is discussed with the valid results. The measurements show that the dc breakdown strength and the initial surface potential continually increased with the nanoparticle addition up to 3 wt% at both room and cryogenic temperatures, and decreased thereafter. The enhancement of the breakdown strength and the initial potential is also found at cryogenic temperature. Besides, the addition of the nanoparticles decreased the rate of SPD compared with the pure epoxy. It is proposed that the higher trap density and trap level enhances the dc breakdown strength. Interestingly, under the cryogenic environment, the nanoparticles addition significantly affects the trap distributions, which further influences the dielectric strength. The enhanced dc breakdown strength is attributed to the reduced space charge formation, the charge carrier mobility and the energy of the charge carriers within the sample bulk.

Enhancement of DC Flashover of Liquid Silicone Rubber by Direct Fluorination

Liquid silicone rubber (LSR) sheet samples of a commercial formulation and surface fluorinated using a F <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> /N <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> mixture at various temperatures are studied in this work. The intrinsic DC flashover of the surface fluorinated samples is evaluated using a sheet sample/finger electrode configuration and under a stepwise increasing voltage. The tests show an increase up to 64% in the intrinsic DC flashover voltage of the LSR by the fluorination and an influence on the flashover on the fluorination temperature. ATR-IR and XPS analyses indicate that there are Si-F bonds as well as C-F bonds in the fluorinated layers. SEM shows the thickness of the fluorinated surface layers with nanostructured surfaces. Surface conductivity and potential decay measurements reveal that the fluorination caused a large increase in surface conduction, in association with fluorination temperature. The improvement in the intrinsic DC flashover is mainly attributed to the suppression of surface charge accumulation on the LSR by the increased surface conduction.

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.

Trap level distribution dependence of lifetime for polyimide films under repetitive impulse voltage

In this paper, polyimide (PI) films were modified by using non-thermal plasma, which was generated by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in atmospheric air. Under repetitive impulse voltage, the lifetime of plasma treated PI films increases obviously, which reaches the maximum value of 16.8% higher than that of untreated PI films, obtained by 20 s’ treatment. For further understanding lifetime improvement mechanism, energy level distribution of both electron-type and hole-type traps was calculated based on isothermal surface potential decay (ISPD) measurement. It is found that energy level of both shallow and deep traps decrease after treatment, reaching the lowest value for the films treated for 20 s. Lower energy for shallow trap is beneficial to charge dissipation, so that local electrical field would be mitigated. Furthermore, lower energy for deep trap results in less amount of trapped surface charges. Thus, surface PD intensity would be suppressed, ending up with longer lifetime. Analysis of chemical bonding structure reveals that active groups rich in oxygen and nitrogen were introduced into the near-surface region of plasma treated sample, which are responsible for corresponding change of trap energy level distribution. However, in order to prolong lifetime effectively, plasma treating time must to be controlled in an appropriate range.

Enhanced thermal and dielectric performance of epoxy resin/aluminum nitride nanocomposites at high temperatures

AbstractThe effects of nano‐aluminum nitride (nano‐AlN) on the thermal conductivity and dielectric performances of epoxy resin (EP) are investigated. The addition of nanoparticles in the materials is characterized. The trap characteristics of the samples are estimated using the surface potential decay (SPD) measurements at high temperatures. The results show that the nano‐AlN fillers are well dispersed in the nano‐AlN composites. The thermal conductivity consistently increases with an increase of the nano‐AlN content. The DC breakdown strength of the EP is enhanced with the addition of the nanoparticles as well, especially for the 0.5 and 1 wt% EP/AlN composites. The DC conductivity of the EP/AlN composites increases more obviously at the high temperature. The initial surface charge density of the samples with the same content of nano‐filler decreases with the increase of the temperature. Both the addition of nanoparticles and high temperature can improve the apparent carrier mobility of the EP sample. The trap density and trap level of the deep traps decreases with the increase of the temperature. It is postulated that shallow traps influence the voltage decay in the EP samples and increase the activation energy and the apparent carrier mobility of the specimens at the high temperature.

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.

Gamma-ray irradiation induced variation in charge transport behavior of polyethylene based boron nitride/silica micro/nanocomposites

This paper examines the effect of Co60 gamma-ray irradiation to a maximum total dose of 1000 kGy on the charge transport in polyethylene based micro/nanocomposites. Micron sized hexagonal boron nitride (BN) and nano size silica (SiO 2 ) fillers are used in this work. Surface potential decay measurement are used to evaluate the charge transport in the composite samples. Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrum, differential scanning calorimetry, and gel content techniques are used to understand the irradiation induced variations in the microstructure of the composites. The results indicate that the carrier trap center becomes shallower and the carrier mobility tends to increase with increasing gamma ray dose and this effect is mitigated with the addition of fillers. It is suggested that the radiation induced reduction in the crystallinity and the appearance of voids and the formation of carbonyl groups are responsible for the observed effect. The micron- and the nano-size particles hinder the penetration of oxygen, thereby reducing oxidation, and the gamma-ray irradiation induces increased charge transport in the composites.

Electrical Characterization of a New Crosslinked Copolymer Blend for DC Cable Insulation

To design reliable high voltage cables, clean materials with superior insulating properties capable of operating at high electric field levels at elevated temperatures are required. This study aims at the electrical characterization of a byproduct-free crosslinked copolymer blend, which is seen as a promising alternative to conventional peroxide crosslinked polyethylene currently used for high voltage direct current cable insulation. The characterization entails direct current (DC) conductivity, dielectric response and surface potential decay measurements at different temperatures and electric field levels. In order to quantify the insulating performance of the new material, the electrical properties of the copolymer blend are compared with those of two reference materials; i.e., low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and peroxide crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE). It is found that, for electric fields of 10–50 kV/mm and temperatures varying from 30 °C to 70 °C, the DC conductivity of the copolymer blend is in the range of 10−17–10−13 S/m, which is close to the conductivity of crosslinked polyethylene. Furthermore, the loss tangent of the copolymer blend is about three to four times lower than that of crosslinked polyethylene and its magnitude is on the level of 0.01 at 50 °C and 0.12 at 70 °C (measured at 0.1 mHz and 6.66 kV/mm). The apparent conductivity and trap density distributions deduced from surface potential decay measurements also confirmed that the new material has electrical properties at least as good as currently used insulation materials based on XLPE (not byproduct-free). Thus, the proposed byproduct-free crosslinked copolymer blend has a high potential as a prospective insulation medium for extruded high voltage DC cables.