Insulative ethylene-propylene copolymer-nanostructured polypropylene for high-voltage cable insulation applications

Worldwide, various efforts to replace crosslinked-polyethylene (XLPE) as an insulation layer in the cable industry, is becoming increasingly popular for improved recycling of polymer waste. Polypropylene (PP) has been proposed as a representative candidate because of its excellent thermomechanical a...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polymer (Guilford) 2020-08, Vol.202, p.122674, Article 122674
Main Authors: Yu, Seunggun, Lee, Seong Hwan, Han, Jin Ah, Ahn, Myung Sang, Park, Hoyyul, Han, Se Won, Lee, Dae Ho
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Breakdown strength
Copolymers
Core-shell
Core-shell structure
Cross-linked polyethylene
Dielectric properties
High voltage
High voltages
Insulation
Mechanical properties
Melt blending
Nanostructure
Polyethylene
Polymers
Polypropylene
Power cables
Raw materials
Rigidity
Thermal stability
Voltage
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Worldwide, various efforts to replace crosslinked-polyethylene (XLPE) as an insulation layer in the cable industry, is becoming increasingly popular for improved recycling of polymer waste. Polypropylene (PP) has been proposed as a representative candidate because of its excellent thermomechanical and electrical performances. However, overcoming the mechanical limitations of intrinsic rigidity is required for cable applications. Herein, PP-based insulating materials were prepared via melt-blending with rubbery ethylene-1-octene copolymer (EOC), followed by mixing an ethylene-propylene random copolymer (rPP) as a surfactant for high-voltage power cable applications. Simple melt-blending of rPP formed a core-shell nanostructure composed of EOC/rPP and a fine dispersion of macron-sized EOC domains. The nanostructured PP ternary blends exhibited multiple advantages in terms of thermal stability, mechanical properties, dielectric performances, and long-term stability compared to the existing XLPE. This study provides a straightforward, rational design of environmental insulation materials for high voltage power cable applications. [Display omitted] •Ternary nanostructured-PP blends were fabricated using EOC and rPP.•The size of EOC inclusions within PP was decreased with rPP content.•The PP blends exhibited increased mechanical and insulation performances with thermal stability.
ISSN:0032-3861
1873-2291
DOI:10.1016/j.polymer.2020.122674