Molecular and Microstructural Engineering Strategies for High-Performance Polypropylene Insulation Materials

Zhaoliang Xing, Hao Ge, Deshen Li, Shaowei Guo, Bo Yang, Chunjia Gao (), Bo Qi and Jianhong Hao
Additional contact information
Zhaoliang Xing: State Key Laboratory of Alternate Electrical Power System with Renewable Energy Sources, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
Hao Ge: State Key Laboratory of Alternate Electrical Power System with Renewable Energy Sources, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
Deshen Li: State Key Laboratory of Alternate Electrical Power System with Renewable Energy Sources, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
Shaowei Guo: China Electric Power Research Institute, Beijing 100192, China
Bo Yang: China Electric Power Research Institute, Beijing 100192, China
Chunjia Gao: State Key Laboratory of Alternate Electrical Power System with Renewable Energy Sources, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
Bo Qi: State Key Laboratory of Alternate Electrical Power System with Renewable Energy Sources, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
Jianhong Hao: State Key Laboratory of Alternate Electrical Power System with Renewable Energy Sources, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 8, 1-20

Abstract: This study develops a high-performance polypropylene (PP) substrate platform by optimizing micro/macrostructures and introduces an efficient catalyst. Key findings include: (1) microstructural analysis identifies ash content impurities (>20 ppm) as triggers for partial discharge-induced insulation failure. PP molecular weights (10 5 –10 6 ) with narrower distributions enhance mechanical strength, while functional groups (-CH 2 /-CH 3 ) show no structural variations across samples. (2) Macroscopically, mixed α - β crystal interfaces increase insulation failure risks, necessitating single-crystalline structures. Higher temperatures reduce dielectric constants but increase losses, requiring environmental consideration. Crystallinity positively correlates with DC breakdown strength (443.31 kV/mm at 54.13% crystallinity). (3) Among three endo-donor catalysts, the internal electron donor 3-based catalyst achieved optimal die-test activity (47.7 kg PP/g cat·h). With 20 mL triethylamine, the catalyst reduced PP ash content by 42.1%, narrowed molecular weight distribution by 31.6%, and increased crystallinity by 8.74%. These results establish microstructure–property relationships for PP capacitors and provide technical guidelines for performance enhancement. The work addresses current limitations in PP evaluation methods and offers a practical strategy for manufacturing high-insulation PP materials through structural control and catalytic optimization.

Keywords: polypropylene; insulating properties; ash content; infrared spectroscopy; high-efficiency catalyst (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: 2025
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/8/2136/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/8/2136/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:18:y:2025:i:8:p:2136-:d:1639035

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().