Highly insulating thermoplastic nanocomposites based on a polyolefin ternary blend for high-voltage direct current power cables
Journal article, 2022
Octyl-silane-coated Al2O3 nanoparticles are found to be a promising conductivity-reducing additive for thermoplastic ternary blends comprising low-density polyethylene (LDPE), isotactic polypropylene and a styrenic copolymer. The ternary blend nanocomposites were prepared by compounding the blend components together with an LDPE-based masterbatch that contained the nanoparticles. The nanoparticles did not affect the superior stiffness of the ternary blends, compared to neat LDPE, between the melting temperatures of the two polyolefins. As a result, ternary blend nanocomposites comprising 38 wt% polypropylene displayed a storage modulus of more than 10 MPa up to at least 150 degrees C, independent of the chosen processing conditions. Moreover, the ternary blend nanocomposites featured a low direct-current electrical conductivity of about 3 x 10(-15) S m(-1) at 70 degrees C and an electric field of 30 kV mm(-1), which could only be achieved through the presence of both polypropylene and Al2O3 nanoparticles. This synergistic conductivity-reducing effect may facilitate the design of more resistive thermoplastic insulation materials for high-voltage direct current (HVDC) power cables.
Author
Azadeh Soroudi
Chalmers, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Applied Chemistry
Yingwei Ouyang
Chalmers, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Applied Chemistry
Fritjof Nilsson
Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)
Mid Sweden University
Ida Östergren
Chalmers, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Applied Chemistry
Xiangdong Xu
Chalmers, Electrical Engineering, Electric Power Engineering
Zerui Li
Chalmers, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Applied Chemistry
Amir Masoud Pourrahimi
Chalmers, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Applied Chemistry
Mikael Hedenqvist
Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)
Thomas Gkourmpis
Borealis GmbH
Per-Ola Hagstrand
Borealis GmbH
Christian Müller
Chalmers, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Applied Chemistry
Nanoscale
2040-3364 (ISSN) 2040-3372 (eISSN)
Vol. 14 21 7927-7933Subject Categories
Polymer Chemistry
Polymer Technologies
Materials Chemistry
Infrastructure
Chalmers Materials Analysis Laboratory
DOI
10.1039/d1nr08255h
PubMed
35593376