Solubility and Diffusivity of Polar and Non-Polar Molecules in Polyethylene-Aluminum Oxide Nanocomposites for HVDC Applications

Shima L. Holder, Mattias E. Karlsson, Richard T. Olsson, Mikael S. Hedenqvist and Fritjof Nilsson
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Shima L. Holder: Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden
Mattias E. Karlsson: Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden
Richard T. Olsson: Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden
Mikael S. Hedenqvist: Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden
Fritjof Nilsson: Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 3, 1-14

Abstract: The best commercial high-voltage insulation material of today is (crosslinked) ultra-pure low-density polyethylene (LDPE). A 100-fold decrease in electrical conductivity can be achieved by adding 1–3 wt.% of well-dispersed inorganic nanoparticles to the LDPE. One hypothesis is that the nanoparticle surfaces attract ions and polar molecules, thereby cleaning the surrounding polymer, and thus reducing the conductivity. LDPE-based nanocomposites with 1–12 wt.% octyl-coated aluminum oxide nanoparticles were prepared and the sorption and desorption of one polar compound (acetophenone, a crosslinking by-product) and one non-polar compound of a similar size (limonene) were examined. Since the uptake of acetophenone increased linearly with increasing filler content, whereas the uptake of limonene decreased, the surface attraction hypothesis was strengthened. The analytical functions for predicting composite solubility as a function of particle size and filler fraction were derived using experimental solubility measurements and Monte Carlo simulations.

Keywords: LDPE; HVDC; nanocomposites; solubility; acetophenone; limonene (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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