Comparative analyses of partial discharge characteristics of polypropylene films with natural and synthetic nanocomposites

Homogeneous incorporation of nanofillers into the polymer matrix improves electrical properties of polypropylene film. In this research work, step voltages were applied on natural and synthetic nanofilled PP and corresponding PD characteristics were recorded and analyzed systematically. In order to quantify PD Resistance, Surface Erosion was also measured for each sample. Weibull Scale Factor analyses indicates that discharge magnitude is higher in synthetic nanofilled PP than in natural nanofilled one, when filler concentration is similar. For both types of samples PD Resistance increases as filler concentration increases but the effect is more significant in natural than in nanofilled samples.