Comparative study of synthetic and natural clay filled PP films under surface discharges

It is known from literature that addition of small wt% of nanofillers into pure polypropylene matrix improves the electrical characteristics by many folds. This study is intended to compare the effect of natural and synthetic nanocomposites on the PD resistance when introduced in small concentrations in the base PP material. This work investigates the effect of type of nanofiller and its content on the PD resistance of PP films under surface discharges. The sample aging is performed under a voltage that constantly increases with time (Ramp voltage) to minimize the effect of space charge redistribution during the aging process on the sample PD behavior and PD characteristics. Samples with 0, 2, 6 wt% of natural organoclay nanocomposites and 2, 4, 8 wt% of synthetic organo clay nanocomposites are considered for this purpose. These samples are subjected to surface PDs and the degree of surface erosion is quantified by Optical microscope and surface Profilometer.