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  • Sijia ZHU, Peng LIU, Ruitong ZHOU, Xi PANG, Qingyu WANG, Zongren PENG
    Insulating Materials. 2025, 58(7): 55-63.

    To investigate the application of anodization technology on improving the interface performance between epoxy resin and aluminum electrodes, aluminum alloys were electrolyzed for different durations to form anodized films on the substrate surface. The morphology, composition, structure, and electrical properties of the anodized films were characterized, and the effects of anodic oxide films on the adhesion and dielectric properties of the epoxy-aluminum interface were analyzed. The results show that after anodic oxidation, an amorphous anodized film with a nanoporous structure is formed. As the electrolysis time increases, the thickness of the anodized film increases linearly, while the internal defects also increase, which reduces the volume resistivity and electric strength. The film exhibits a high dielectric constant and dielectric loss factor, which remain stable at 25℃-125℃. Benefiting from the nanoporous structure and polar bonds, the adhesive shear strength between the aluminum substrate and epoxy resin increases from 6.76 MPa to 10.89 MPa, and the adhesive tensile strength increases from 6.89 MPa to 9.78 MPa after anodic oxidation. The impact toughness increases from 66.21 kJ/m2 to 76.42 kJ/m2, and the flexural strength increases from 147.65 MPa to 180.50 MPa. The anodized film improves the electric strength of the aluminum-epoxy composite, and the interface polarization makes the dielectric constant and dielectric loss factor of the aluminum-anodized film-epoxy composite structure slightly higher than those of the aluminum-epoxy structure. In HVDC electric fields, space charges mainly accumulate at the interface between the electrode and the dielectric, and the anodized film can inhibit the injection of charges into the dielectric. Therefore, as an effective interface modification method, anodic oxidation can enhance the mechanical and electrical properties of aluminum electrodes and epoxy resin.

  • Pengxian SONG, Mingzheng ZHU, Qinghua TANG, Guozhou LIN, Quanwei HU, Jiahui AN
    Insulating Materials. 2025, 58(7): 34-43.

    The invasion of moisture at the insulation interface of cable accessories is the main cause of electrical breakdown and insulation failure. However, the effect mechanism of moisture on interface discharge and breakdown remained unclear. Therefore, this paper conducted experiments and simulations to analyze and study the causes of breakdown failure at the insulation interface of cable accessories under the influence of moisture. First, the discharge evolution characteristics during the breakdown process at dry and humid interfaces were described through experiments. Subsequently, by combining discharge products with electric field analysis, the effect mechanism of moisture on the breakdown development at the interface was explained. Finally, a field case was presented to confirm the validity of the proposed breakdown mechanism of the insulation interface under the influence of moisture. The results show that the discharge process during the interface breakdown of insulation interface develops in stages, accompanied by gas generation. The bubbles regions formed by the generated gases lead to severe electric field distortion, which reduces the electric strength of the interface. The dynamic motion of the bubbles also increases the randomness of interfacial discharge, causing the interfacial breakdown process to be accompanied by multiple discrete arc discharges along random path.

  • Xiantao TAO, Hui GONG, Shize ZHANG, Xiao LIU, Ang REN, Chao PENG, Junping HOU
    Insulating Materials. 2025, 58(7): 44-54.

    To investigate the rejuvenation effect and enhancement mechanism of the voltage stabilizer-containing rejuvenation fluid on moisture-affected XLPE/SiR interface, XLPE was sanded by sandpapers with different granularities to prepare XLPE/SiR interface samples. At first, the surface roughness of the samples was measured using a profilometer, and interfacial breakdown tests were conducted. Then, the samples were subjected to moisture tests. After that, the antioxidant 300 and ferrocene were selected as voltage stabilizers, and five rejuvenation fluids with different stabilizer content were prepared to rejuvenate the moisture-affected interfaces. The interface samples before and after rejuvenation were further analyzed by surface profilometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), polarization-depolarization current (PDC), and interface breakdown tests. The results show that the interfacial breakdown voltage decreases with the increase of surface roughness, while the moisture exposure elevates the interfacial DC conductivity and dielectric loss factor and decreases the interfacial breakdown voltage. After the rejuvenation, the interface roughness, DC conductivity, and dielectric loss factor of the samples decrease, and the rejuvenated product can homogenize the electric field distribution between the cavity and the solid dielectrics, and significantly increase the interfacial breakdown voltage. Moreover, the addition of antioxidant 300 and ferrocene can enhance the interfacial breakdown voltage, and ferrocene has a better improvement effect on the insulation performance of the moisture-exposed interface.

  • Di LU, Yu GAO, Pinhao HUANG, Shuangying LI, Boxue DU
    Insulating Materials. 2025, 58(7): 1-15.

    In the development of gas insulated switchgear (GIS) and gas insulated transmission lines (GIL) towards higher voltage and larger capacity, the insulation performance at the internal insulator's gas-solid interface is recognized as a critical factor affecting the operational safety of GIS/GIL equipment. To ensure the insulation safety of GIS/GIL equipment in engineering applications, it is imperative to elucidate the insulation failure mechanisms at the gas-solid interface and explore methods to enhance its insulation performance. In this paper, first, the research progress in the field of gas-solid interface insulation was reviewed, the mechanisms of dynamic charge behavior at the gas-solid interface and its influencing factors were analyzed, and methods for charge regulation at the gas-solid interface were introduced. Subsequently, the mechanism of insulation failure influenced by metal particles at the interface was discussed, and the motion characteristics of metal particles and their mitigation measures were summarized. Following this, the insulation characteristics at the gas-solid interface in environmental-friendly insulating gases were described, and the methods for electric field regulation and flashover voltage enhancement at the interface were summarized. Finally, the research directions for gas-solid interface insulation of insulator in GIS/GIL were outlined.

  • Tian NAN, Jie LIANG, Zhiyuan LIU, Mingxiang YANG, Kezu WANG, Dexiong HU, Lu GUO, Feng WANG
    Insulating Materials. 2025, 58(7): 26-33.

    To investigate the effects of hydrophobic coatings on charge accumulation characteristics of silicone rubber, this study prepared hydrophobic coatings with hydrophobic fumed silica (SiO2) particles as fillers. The surface charge distribution on silicone rubber surface coated with hydrophobic coatings containing different amounts of SiO2 particles was measured under both positive and negative DC corona using an electrostatic capacitance probe. Additionally, the surface micromorphology, static contact angle, surface resistivity, and DC creepage flashover voltage of silicone rubber surface coated with hydrophobic coatings containing different amounts of SiO2 were characterized. The results show that the static contact angle of silicone rubber surfaces increases with the increase of SiO2 content in the hydrophobic coating. However, applying hydrophobic coatings on silicone rubber will exacerbate the surface charge accumulation. When the mass fractions of SiO2 is 2%, 6%, and 10%, the maximum surface charge density accumulated on silicone rubber surface increases by 5.03%, 20.11%, and 24.06%, respectively, which will also decrease the surface resistivity and DC creepage flashover voltage of silicone rubber. Analysis suggests that the hydrophobic coating surface will generate more gaps and holes, thereby facilitating the capture and adsorption of charges, making it difficult for the charges to dissipate.

  • Yi ZHANG, Qiaolin REN, Haipeng TIAN, Fangya LI, Danli HUANG, Fan YANG, Jingjing JIANG, Xia WU, Letian AN, Peidong MAO
    Insulating Materials. 2025, 58(7): 93-100.

    To solve the ageing problem of transformer insulation oil after the long-term operation, three composite materials, including glucose attapulgite (GLU-APT), starch attapulgite (AL-APT), and polydopamine attapulgite (PDA-APT), were designed and prepared. The structures of the composite materials were characterized by X-ray diffractor, field emission scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectrometer, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, and N2 adsorption-desorption test. The results show that the decolorization and acid value reduction effects of the three composite materials on retired oil improves significantly compared to APT, among which the GLU-APT shows the best regeneration effect to retired oil. When the mass ratio of GLU-APT adsorbent and retired transformer oil is 1:2, the adsorption time is 2 h, and the adsorption temperature is 90℃, the decolorization rate of regenerated oil can reach 88.2%, and the acid value is reduced to 0.010 mgKOH/g, the adsorption efficiency can maintain 90% after 5 cycles of regeneration.

  • Jian WANG, Yaomengli XU, Qing YANG, Huan SONG, Yong LI, Yu YANG, Zhi RONG, Xuchong WANG
    Insulating Materials. 2025, 58(7): 73-78.

    To study the fiber characteristics of insulating wood pulp during the beating process and their impact on the properties of electrolytic capacitor separator, fibers with different beating degree were prepared using a Valley beater to prepare electrolytic capacitor separators, and their mechanical properties and electrical properties were tested. The results show that with the increase of beating time, the beating degree of the insulating wood pulp increase, leading to the decrease of fiber length and the increase of brooming degree. With the increase of beating degree, the surface pore structure of the prepared separators significantly decreases, while the density, tensile strength, and electric strength of the separators increase. In addition, with the increase of beating degree, the liquid absorption performance of the separators decreases, and the equivalent series resistance (ESR) per unit thickness increases.

  • Wen HE, Shuai HOU, Yunpeng ZHAN, Zhuojia LI, Gang HUANG, Mingli FU
    Insulating Materials. 2025, 58(7): 64-72.

    The interfacial characteristic between the shielding layer and insulation layer is a key factor determining the service life and operational reliability of the high-voltage cables. This study focused on the regulation of the dispersion of conductive carbon black (CB), and investigated the impact of interfacial characteristics between the shielding layer and cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) insulation layer. The semi-conductive shielding materials with two different formulations were prepared, and an imported semi-conductive shielding material was selected as a comparison sample, then the mechanical, thermal, and electrical compatibility between the shielding materials and insulation layer were comprehensively evaluated. The results show that the introduction of polymer dispersant polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) into the matrix resin significantly improves the dispersibility of CB. The mechanical compatibility between the shielding layer and insulation layer is predominantly influenced by crosslinking, and an optimal crosslinking compatibility can enhance the interfacial adhesion and prevent delamination. The PVP-modified shielding layers exhibit better thermal compatibility with the insulation layer in terms of the coefficient of thermal expansion, and show superior thermal conductivity compared to the imported shielding material. Furthermore, the improved CB dispersion optimizes electrical compatibility between shielding layer and insulation layer, elevating the AC electrical strength at the shield-insulation interface.

  • Duanjiao LI, Wenxing SUN, Yuhui CHEN, Xiaoguang HU
    Insulating Materials. 2025, 58(7): 143-150.

    The temperature rise characteristics of gas-insulated transmission lines (GIL) determine their current-carrying capacity. To investigate the temperature rise characteristics of two typical environmental friendly insulating gases — perfluoroisobutyronitrile (C4F7N) mixed gas and dry air, the temperature rise process of a 126 kV three-phase common-tank GIL was simulated, and based on the simulation results, a temperature rise test platform was established. Then the temperature rise tests were carried out under conditions such as different gas dielectrics and current magnitudes. The results show that under the identical current conditions, the temperature rises of both C4F7N/CO₂ mixed gas and dry air under typical application parameters are similar, yet both exceed that of SF₆ gas. When the current loading is 3 150 A, both C4F7N/CO2 mixed gas-filled and dry air-filled equipment can meet the requirement of temperature rise not exceeding 75 K, but when the current loading is 3 465 A, neither filling with C4F7N/CO2 mixed gas nor filling with dry air can satisfy this requirement. It is also found that when the three gases were filled respectively, the temperature rise of phase B is higher than that of phase A and phase C, aligning with simulation results and thermal convection processes, indicating that the maximum temperature rise of phase B conductors requires special consideration in the temperature rise design of 126 kV three-phase common-tank GIL.

  • Deyang DONG, Hang LU, Bo WEN, Ruihui HAN, Chao XU, Jizheng YANG
    Insulating Materials. 2025, 58(7): 129-135.

    Room temperature vulcanized silicone rubber (RTV-SiR) is an important polymer coating material for high voltage insulators. The ageing behavior of RTV-SiR under long-term exposure to environmental stimuli is an essential consideration for its field applications. In this study, composite coatings were prepared by incorporating nanometer-scale silicon dioxide (SiO2) and aluminum trihydrate (ATH) into RTV-SiR. Then the composite coating samples were conducted accelerated ageing for 9 000 h, and their micro-morphology, hydrophobicity class (HC), leakage current, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), electrical strength, and mechanical strength were tested to investigate the ageing characteristics of SiO2/ATH-filled RTV-SiR. The results show that the addition of SiO2 and ATH fillers to RTV-SiR enhances the anti-degradation capability and environmental stress resistance of the composite coatings during ageing, preserving the samples' hydrophobicity. After ageing, compared with RTV-SiR, the composite samples exhibit a relatively smaller increase in leakage current and maintain higher electrical strength. According to FTIR analysis, the loss rates of several important absorption peak intensities of RTV-SiR are higher during ageing, and almost none of them can be restored, whereas those of the samples filled with SiO2/ATH demonstrate a loss-recovery characteristics. Additionally, compared with RTV-SiR, the SiO2/ATH-filled samples exhibit significantly lower reductions in tensile strength, elongation at break, and hardness after ageing treatment, indicating superior ageing resistance.