Prebreakdown current and dc breakdown strength of alumina-filled poly(ethylene-co-butyl acrylate) nanocomposites: Part I - breakdown strength

Dielectric breakdown strength of poly (ethylene-co-butyl acrylate) (EBA) nanocomposites filled with spherical alumina particles was studied as a function of particle coating, moisture content and the effective specific surface area. Two kinds of alumina nanoparticles were used: NA (25 nm in diameter) or ND (45 nm in diameter). The particles were either unmodified or surface-treated with aminopropyltriethoxy silane or octyltriethoxy silane. Two different relative humidities of air were used for conditioning the samples prior to testing: 0 % RH (dry case) and 86 % RH (samples were saturated with moisture). The dielectric breakdown strength measurements were performed with a DC ramp of 1.2 kV/s. Twenty samples were tested for each material formulation - ten of which were tested in dry conditions and ten were tested after conditioning in humid environment. Results were compared to the reference unfilled EBA samples. Applying Weibull analysis to the measured breakdown voltages indicated that the material filled with amino-coated ND particles exhibited the highest breakdown strength under dry conditions. As expected, conditioning materials in a humid environment had a negative impact on breakdown strength. This effect was more pronounced for nanocomposite materials, compared to the unfilled reference material.