Performance of silicone rubber nanocomposites in salt-fog, inclined plane, and laser ablation tests

This paper explores how the addition of inorganic nanofiller and microfiller to silicone rubber can impart resistance to erosion for overhead insulation applications. Various micro-nano composites were prepared for this study, namely microfiller, nanofiller, and the combination of microfiller and nanofiller with a commercial surfactant to improve the dispersion of the nanofiller. The effect of the surfactant on the surface wettability of the composites was analyzed with contact angle measurements. Salt-fog, inclined plane and laser ablation tests were conducted to evaluate the erosion resistance of the micro-nano filled composites. The results in all three tests showed that the combination of microfiller and nanofiller with surfactant resulted in composites with improved erosion resistance to dry band arcing, with the exception of the case where calcinated filler was used in the formulation.