Breakdown phenomenon identification of biodegradable polyethylene film under UV-irradiation environment

Biodegradable polymers are increasingly expected for substitute of present insulating materials in the electrical and electronic devices. However, their electrical properties are not systematically confirmed and need further investigation. In this paper, biodegradable polyethylene (BDPE) films are employed as the specimens and high density polyethylene (HDPE) films are as the reference. The breakdown endurance of BDPE film is examined using bias DC voltage under UV-irradiation environments. The images of breakdown craters are captured through applying a monocular-video-zoom microscope. Both breakdown area and box dimension of breakdown craters are obtained by an image-pattern-identification technique. The results reveal that for both BDPE and HDPE films, the breakdown voltage, breakdown area and box dimension all decrease with the increase of UV-irradiation level. Based on comparison of the results, it shows that under UV-irradiation environment, breakdown endurance of BDPE film is better than that of HDPE film.