Superior thermal breakdown performance of MgO-LDPE nanocomposite materials for HVDC insulation

In spite of the bourgeoning evidence of improvements in material properties, the mechanism of conduction and breakdown in nanocomposite dielectrics is not yet clear. Understanding the macroscopic properties of nanocomposites is essential for the use and application of the nanodielectrics as also to pave the way for providing an understanding at nano-scale. Any hypothesis explaining the nano-scale effects must explain the changes in macroscopic material properties. With this objective in view, the authors investigated the dc conduction and breakdown in nanocomposites. Experimental results and a rigorous analysis of the volume resistivity data presented in the paper provides a more clear evidence of the effect of variation in the material properties on insulation breakdown.