ZnO as a cheap and effective filler for high breakdown strength elastomers

AbstractDielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) with large electrically-actuated strain can build light-weight and flexible non-magnetic motors. However, dielectric elastomers commonly used in the field of soft actuation suffer from high stiffness, low strength, and high driving field, severely limiting the DEA’s actuating performance. Here we design a new polyacrylate dielectric elastomer with optimized crosslinking network by rationally employing the difunctional macromolecular crosslinking agent. The proposed elastomer simultaneously possesses desirable modulus (~0.073 MPa), high toughness (elongation ~2400%), low mechanical loss (tan δm = 0.21@1 Hz, 20 °C), and satisfactory dielectric properties ($${\varepsilon }_{{{{{{\rm{r}}}}}}}$$ ε r = 5.75, tan δe = 0.0019 @1 kHz), and accordingly, large actuation strain (118% @ 70 MV m−1), high energy density (0.24 MJ m−3 @ 70 MV m−1), and rapid response (bandwidth above 100 Hz). Compared with VHBTM 4910, the non-magnetic motor made of our elastomer presents 15 times higher rotation speed. These findings offer a strategy to fabricate high-performance dielectric elastomers for soft actuators.

Download Full-text

Silicone dielectric elastomers optimized by crosslinking pattern – a simple approach to high-performance actuators

Polymer Chemistry ◽

10.1039/d0py00223b ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (19) ◽

pp. 3271-3284

Author(s):

Codrin Tugui ◽

George T. Stiubianu ◽

Manole S. Serbulea ◽

Maria Cazacu

Keyword(s):

High Performance ◽

Dielectric Elastomer ◽

Simple Approach ◽

Dielectric Elastomers ◽

Silicone Elastomers ◽

Dielectric Elastomer Actuators ◽

Chemical Design

Chemical design of silicone elastomers for improving the electromechanical response of dielectric elastomer actuators.

Download Full-text

Ultrahigh Energy Storage Performances of Polymer-based Nanocomposite via Interfaces Engneering

Journal of Materials Chemistry A ◽

10.1039/d0ta10044g ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Peng Wang ◽

Zhongbin Pan ◽

Weilin Wang ◽

Jianxu Hu ◽

Jinjun Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dielectric Constant ◽

Energy Storage ◽

High Performance ◽

Breakdown Strength ◽

Composite Films ◽

Power Electronic ◽

Ultrahigh Energy

High-performance electrostatic capacitors are in urgent demand owing to the rapidly development of advanced power electronic applications. However, polymer-based composite films with both high breakdown strength (Eb) and dielectric constant...

Download Full-text

Recent Advances in the Synthesis of Polymer-Grafted Low-K and High-K Nanoparticles for Dielectric and Electronic Applications

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules26102942 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (10) ◽

pp. 2942

Author(s):

Bhausaheb V. Tawade ◽

Ikeoluwa E. Apata ◽

Nihar Pradhan ◽

Alamgir Karim ◽

Dharmaraj Raghavan

Keyword(s):

Energy Density ◽

Polymer Nanocomposites ◽

High Performance ◽

Breakdown Strength ◽

Polymer Nanocomposite ◽

High Energy ◽

Polymer Chains ◽

High Energy Density ◽

Grafted Nanoparticles ◽

Grafting From

The synthesis of polymer-grafted nanoparticles (PGNPs) or hairy nanoparticles (HNPs) by tethering of polymer chains to the surface of nanoparticles is an important technique to obtain nanostructured hybrid materials that have been widely used in the formulation of advanced polymer nanocomposites. Ceramic-based polymer nanocomposites integrate key attributes of polymer and ceramic nanomaterial to improve the dielectric properties such as breakdown strength, energy density and dielectric loss. This review describes the ”grafting from” and ”grafting to” approaches commonly adopted to graft polymer chains on NPs pertaining to nano-dielectrics. The article also covers various surface initiated controlled radical polymerization techniques, along with templated approaches for grafting of polymer chains onto SiO2, TiO2, BaTiO3, and Al2O3 nanomaterials. As a look towards applications, an outlook on high-performance polymer nanocomposite capacitors for the design of high energy density pulsed power thin-film capacitors is also presented.

Download Full-text

Investigation of Insulation Characteristics of GFRP Crossarm Subjected to Lightning Transient

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14144386 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (14) ◽

pp. 4386

Author(s):

Muhammad Syahmi Abd Rahman ◽

Mohd Zainal Abidin Ab Kadir ◽

Muhamad Safwan Abd Rahman ◽

Miszaina Osman ◽

Shamsul Fahmi Mohd Nor ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Performance ◽

Breakdown Strength ◽

Fiber Reinforced Polymer ◽

The Finite Element Method ◽

Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer ◽

Material Technology ◽

Reinforced Polymer ◽

Glass Fiber Reinforced ◽

Maximum Field ◽

Different Parts

The advancement of material technology has contributed to the variation of high-performance composites with good electrical insulation and mechanical properties. Their usage in electrical applications has grown since then. In Malaysia, the composite made of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) has been adopted for crossarm manufacturing and has successfully served 275 kV lines for a few decades. However, the combination of extreme conditions such as lightning transient and tropical climate can impose threats to the material. These issues have become major topics of discussion among the utilities in the Southeast Asian (SEA) region, and also in previous research. In Malaysia, more than 50% of total interruptions were caused by lightning. Limited studies can be found on the composite crossarm, especially on the square tube GFRP filled crossarm used in Malaysia. Therefore, this paper proposes to study the behavior of the particular GFRP crossarm, by means of its insulation characteristics. Experimental and simulation approaches are used. Throughout the study, the GFRP specimen is known to have an average breakdown strength at 7.2 kV/mm. In addition, the CFO voltages of the crossarm at different lengths are presented, whereby the behavior under dry and wet conditions is comparably discussed. At the same time, the polarity effect on the CFO voltages is highlighted. The maximum E-fields at the immediate moment before breakdown are analyzed by adopting the finite element method (FEM). Non-uniform distribution of E-fields is witnessed at different parts of the crossarm structure. Simultaneously, the maximum field localized on the crossarm immediately before the breakdown is also presented.

Download Full-text