Effect of zinc oxide nanoparticle size on the dielectric properties of polypropylene‐based nanocomposites

Abstract

To develop new environmentally friendly and recyclable high‐voltage cable insulation materials, the effects of the particle size of zinc oxide (ZnO) on the mechanical and electrical properties of nanocomposites were investigated based on a feasibility study of polypropylene (PP) as a high‐performance cable insulation material. The small particle size of ZnO can synergistically toughen PP with a polyolefin elastomer (POE), but the large particle size of ZnO leads to lower elongation at break. Adding ZnO nanoparticles can improve the bulk resistivity of the composites and suppress space charge injection. 0.5ZnO200 has the highest direct current and alternating current breakdown field strengths, 36.6% and 14.7% higher than PP/POE, respectively. This improvement may be due to the ability of 200 nm ZnO to introduce more deep traps. However, as the nanoparticle content rises and the particle size decreases, the agglomeration becomes more frequent, leading to the overlap of inter‐nano interfaces and reducing the modification effect of the nanoparticles. This study on the effect law of nano‐ZnO with different particle sizes on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and electrical properties of PP can provide a reference for developing new recyclable high‐voltage insulated cable materials.

Enhancement of dielectric properties of acrylic resin elastomer‐based composites with SiO2 loaded carbon nanotubes

“…However, the intrinsic low dielectric constant (less than 5) of ARE restricts its practical application in the domain of actuation. A prospecting strategy to significantly elevate the dielectric constant of ARE is preparing a percolative composite filled with conductive filler 5,6 . Percolative composite present high dielectric constant around the percolation threshold ( f c ).…”