Dielectric strength of electrical insulators is adversely affected by both wet conditions and surface roughness due to accelerated dielectric breakdown. While textured superhydrophobic coatings (i.e., coatings that are extremely repellent to water) can prevent the accumulation of water and help retain the dielectric strength of insulators under wet conditions, it is unclear whether or not the presence of texture (i.e., surface roughness) allows the retention of the dielectric strength of insulators. In this work, through a series of systematic experiments and analysis, it is concluded that porous superhydrophobic coatings rather than rough monolithic superhydrophobic surfaces allow the retention of dielectric strength of insulators under wet conditions in spite of the surface roughness. The insights from this work can enable the design of electrical insulators with improved performance and increased longevity.

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