Rescaled electrical properties of ZnO/low density polyethylene nanocomposites

Abstract

ZnO/low density polyethylene (LDPE) nanocomposites were prepared using melt mixing with good dispersion of the ZnO nanoparticles. The electrical properties (dc resistivity and breakdown strength) of the composite with various concentrations of ZnO up to the percolation limit were measured and compared to the corresponding electrical properties of submicron ZnO filled LDPE. It was observed that the nanocomposites exhibited a lower percolation limit and a slower decrease in resistivity with filler concentration compared to the conventional composite. The dielectric breakdown strength was also found to be higher for the nanocomposite at high filler concentration.

On the effect of functionalizer chain length and water content in polyethylene/silica nanocomposites: Part I — Dielectric properties and breakdown strength

“…Since the attractive properties of nanodielectrics have generally been ascribed to the large specific interfacial area that exists within such systems and the subsequent formation of interphases [6,7], achieving good nanoparticle dispersion and avoiding particle aggregation is generally considered to be key, but is very difficult to achieve consistently [8][9][10][11][12]. Consequently, when the breakdown strength of a nanocomposite is compared with that of an identical polymer without nanofiller, examples can be found where the addition of the nanofiller reduced the breakdown strength [13,14], where no change in breakdown strength was seen [15] or where increased breakdown strength occurred [16,17]. A possible explanation for these apparent contradictions may be found in morphological data (where this is provided); poor nanofiller dispersion seems to lead to detrimental effects on breakdown strength [10,11,18] whilst well dispersed systems seem to show improved performance [15,16].…”

Polymer Nanocomposites: Synthesis and Physical Properties

“…The selection of LDPE as the stabilizing matrix was made due to the material's low cost and well-developed production technology. Besides that, LDPE can be readily mixed with both organic and inorganic fillers (Pomogailo et al, 2004;Gubin et al, 2005, b;Yurkov et al, 2006;Xia et al, 2006;Hong et al, 2003;Hong et al, 2005). LDPE is a thermoplastic polymer, which allows using it for making objects of desired form and dimensions in mild conditions.…”

“…Most polymer materials are good dielectrics with stable physical and chemical properties (Xia et al, 2006). Chemical stability of polymers allows using them in severe conditions (Hong et al, 2003). Modification of polymers with various inorganic fillers is used for altering their mechanical, electric, and other operational properties (Brosseau et al, 2001).…”

Electrical Behavior of High Density Polyethylene/ZnO Nano-composites

“…The electrical properties of the insulating polymers can be modified by incorporating conductive particles such as carbon black (CB) [1,2], carbon nanotube [3][4][5][6], metallic filler [7,8] and ZnO [9][10][11] into the polymers. The electrical properties of the ultimate products strongly depend on the shape, size and dispersion of the fillers as well as the conductivity of the fillers.…”

“…Recently, ZnO nanoparticles have also attracted considerable attention in polymer community as fillers for the nanocomposites. Several studies have been conducted on the synthesis and determination of the physical property of the ZnO nanoparticles reinforced polymers, including luminescence [16,17], improved photodegradation [18,19], thermal and electrical behaviors [9][10][11].…”