Effect of low amount of nanosilica on dielectric properties of polypropylene

This paper presents the results of the dielectric properties measurements conducted on Silica-Polypropylene (PP) nanocomposites. According to prior investigations by the authors silica nanoparticles have improved the performance of the dielectric material considering capacitor applications. Especially breakdown strengths with ac and dc voltages and resistance against surface degradation have increased. The relative permittivity and dielectric losses have also been comparable to reference PP. In this paper the results of the dielectric measurements conducted on composites with 1-2 wt-% silica are compared with reference PP. Silica dispersion in PP was confirmed with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Weibull analysis was applied to the breakdown strength measurement results with dc voltage. Capacitance and loss factor measurements were conducted as a function of temperature to study thermal behavior. The measurements were conducted at the high voltage laboratories of Tampere University of Technology and Chalmers University of Technology. Statistical analysis was applied to the results to determine the significance of the differences between the materials.