| 1. |
- Liu, Dongming, et al.
(författare)
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Cavitation in strained polyethylene/aluminium oxide nanocomposites
- 2017
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Ingår i: European Polymer Journal. - : Elsevier. - 0014-3057 .- 1873-1945. ; 87, s. 255-265
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The incorporation of metal oxide (e.g. Al2O3) nanoparticles has a pronounced positive effect on low-density polyethylene (LDPE) as an insulating material for high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) cables, the electrical conductivity being decreased by one to two orders of magnitude and charge species being trapped by the nanoparticles. The risk of debonding between the nanoparticles and the polymer matrix leading to electrical treeing via electrical discharges in the formed cavities was the motivation for this study. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and X-ray ptychographic tomography were used to study a series of LDPE nanocomposites which contained Al2O3 nanoparticles treated with silanes having terminal alkyl groups of different lengths (methyl, octyl and octadecyl). When specimens were subjected to a tensile strain (a typical specimen stretched beyond the onset of necking consisted of three zones according to SEM of specimens that were studied after removal of the external force: an essentially cavitation-free zone with low local plastic strain, a transitional zone in which local plastic strain showed a marked increase and the revealed concentration of permanent cavities increased with increasing plastic strain and a highly strained zone with extensive cavitation), the cavitation occurred mainly at the polymer-nanoparticle interface according to SEM and X-ray ptychographic tomography and according to SEM progressed with increasing plastic strain through an initial phase with no detectable formation of permanent cavities to a period of very fast cavitation and finally almost an order of magnitude slower cavitation. The polymer/nanoparticle interface was fractal before deformation, as revealed by the profile of the Porod region in SAXS, presumably due to the existence of bound polymers at the nanoparticle surface. A pronounced decrease in the interface fractal dimension was observed when the strain exceeded a critical value; a phenomenon attributed to the stress-induced de-bonding of nanoparticles. The strain-dependence of the interface fractal dimension value at low strain levels between composites containing differently treated nanoparticles seems to be an indicator of the strength of the nanoparticle-polymer interface.
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| 2. |
- Liu, Dongming, 1987-, et al.
(författare)
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Influence of Nanoparticle Surface Coating on Electrical Conductivity of LDPE/Al2O3 Nanocomposites for HVDC Cable Insulations
- 2017
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Ingår i: IEEE transactions on dielectrics and electrical insulation. - : IEEE. - 1070-9878 .- 1558-4135. ; 24:3, s. 1396-1404
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- LDPE/metal oxide nanocomposites are promising materials for future high-voltage DC cable insulation. This paper presents data on the influence of the structure of the nanoparticle coating on the electrical conductivity of LDPE/Al2O3 nanocomposites. Al2O3 nanoparticles, 50 nm in size, were coated with a series of silanes with terminal alkyl groups of different lengths (methyl, n-octyl and n-octadecyl groups). The density of the coatings in vacuum was between 200 and 515 kg m(-3,) indicating substantial porosity in the coating. The dispersion of the nanoparticles in the LDPE matrix was assessed based on statistics for the nearest-neighbor particle distance. The electrical conductivity of the nanocomposites was determined at both 40 and 60 degrees C. The results show that an appropriate surface coating on the nanoparticles allowed uniform particle dispersion up to a filler loading of 10 wt.%, with a maximum reduction in the electrical conductivity by a factor of 35. The composites based on the most porous octyl-coated nanoparticles showed the greatest reduction in electrical conductivity and the lowest temperature coefficient of electrical conductivity of the composites studied.
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| 3. |
- Liu, Dongming, et al.
(författare)
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Interactions between a phenolic antioxidant, moisture, peroxide and crosslinking by-products with metal oxide nanoparticles in branched polyethylene
- 2016
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Ingår i: Polymer degradation and stability. - : Elsevier. - 0141-3910 .- 1873-2321. ; 125, s. 21-32
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Polyethylene composites based on metal oxide nanoparticles are emerging materials for use in the insulation of extruded HVDC cables. The short-term electrical performance of these materials is adequate, but their stability for extended service needs to be assessed. This study is focussed on the capacity of the nanoparticles to adsorb polar species (water, dicumyl peroxide and byproducts from peroxide-vulcanisation, acetophenone and cumyl alcohol) that have an impact on the electrical conductivity of nanocomposites, the oxidative stability by adsorption of phenolic antioxidants on the nanoparticles and the potential transfer of catalytic impurities from the nanoparticles to the polymer. The adsorption of water, dicumyl peroxide, acetophenone, cumyl alcohol and Irganox 1076 (phenolic antioxidant) on pristine and coated (hydrophobic silanes and poly(lauryl methacrylate)) Al2O3, MgO and ZnO particles ranging from 25 nm to 2 gm was assessed. Composites based on low-density polyethylene and the particles mentioned (<= 12 wt.%) were prepared, the degree of adsorption of Irganox 1076 onto the particles was assessed by OIT measurements, and the release of volatile species at elevated temperature was assessed by TG. The concentration of moisture adsorbed on the particles at 25 degrees C increased linearly with both increasing hydroxyl group concentration on the particle surfaces and increasing relative humidity. Dicumyl peroxide showed no adsorption on any of the nanoparticles. Acetophenone and cumyl alcohol showed a linear increase in adsorption with increasing concentration of hydroxyl groups, but the quantities were much smaller than those of water. Irganox 1076 adsorbed only onto the uncoated nanoparticles. Uncoated ZnO nanoparticles that contained ionic species promoted radical formation and a lowering of the OIT. This study showed that carefully coated pure metal oxide nano particles are not likely to adsorb phenolic antioxidants or dicumyl peroxide, but that they have the capacity to adsorb moisture and polar byproducts from peroxide vulcanisation, and that they will not introduce destabilizing ionic species into the polymer matrix. Low contents of dry, equiaxed ZnO and MgO particles strongly retarded the release of volatile species at temperatures above 300 degrees C.
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| 4. |
- Liu, Dongming, et al.
(författare)
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Morphology and properties of silica-based coatings with different functionalities for Fe3O4, ZnO and Al2O3 nanoparticles
- 2015
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Ingår i: RSC Advances. - 2046-2069. ; 5:59, s. 48094-48103
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A facile single-step method for obtaining 2–3 nm thick silsesquioxane coatings on metal oxide nanoparticles using different carbon-functional silane precursors is presented. Iron oxide nanoparticles 8.5 nm in diameter were used as a model to evaluate the possibilities of forming different uniform carbon-functional coatings, ranging from hydrophobic to hydrophilic in character. Electron microscopy showed that all the coated nanoparticles could be described as core-shell nanoparticles with single Fe3O4 cores and carbon-functional silsesquioxane shells, without any core-free silicone oxide phase. Steric factors strongly influenced the deposited silicon oxide precursors with octyl-, methyl- or aminopropyl functionalities, resulting in coating densities ranging from 260 to 560 kg/m3. The methyl-functional coatings required several layers of silsesquioxane, 3–4, to build up the 2 nm structures, whereas only 1-2 layers were required for silsesquioxane with octyl groups. Pure silica coatings from tetraethoxysilanes were however considerably thicker due to the absence of steric hindrance during deposition, allowing the formation of 5–7 nm coatings of ca. 10 layers. The coating method developed for the iron oxide nanoparticles was generic and successfully transferred and up–scaled 30 and 325 times (by volume) to be applicable to 25 nm ZnO and 45 nm Al2O3 nanoparticles.
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| 5. |
- Nilsson, Fritjof, et al.
(författare)
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Influence of water uptake on the electrical DC-conductivity of insulating LDPE/MgO nanocomposites
- 2017
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Ingår i: Composites Science And Technology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0266-3538 .- 1879-1050. ; 152, s. 11-19
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Low-density polyethylene (LDPE), typically in cross-linked form, is currently the main insulation material for extruded high voltage cables. The DC-conductivity of LDPE can be reduced 100 times by adding 1-3 wt% well-dispersed metal-oxide nanoparticles (MgO, ZnO, Al2O3), but the underlying physics remain unclear. One of several feasible explanations is that the nanoparticles attract electrical charges, polar molecules (H2O and crosslinking by-products) and ions (H+, OH-, salts and ionic species originating from the crosslinking by-products), and thus clean the polymer. Effective media FEM simulations, assuming that the polymer conductivity is proportional to the moisture content, were used in order to examine this hypothesis. Water sorption measurements for LDPE and MgO/LDPE nanocomposites were conducted as experimental input. The simulations could conceptually predict the experimentally measured composite conductivities. The hypothesis was further strengthened by DC-conductivity measurements on LDPE and MgO/LDPE nanocomposites at 0 and 50% relative humidity (RH), showing a 100-fold conductivity increase for the nanocomposite at the elevated humidity. The DC-conductivity of the most insulating composite (3 wt% MgO) was below 10(-16) S/m after 64 h at 60 degrees C and 0% RH, using an electric field of ca 30 kV/mm. The long-term insulation efficiency of an insulating polymer nanocomposite is thus optimal if the material is carefully dried and surrounded by an impenetrable moisture barrier before use.
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| 6. |
- Pallon, Love K. H., et al.
(författare)
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Condition monitoring of excavated CIPP-liners to ensure lifespan
- 2020
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Ingår i: 37th International NO-DIG Conference and Exhibition 2019. - : International Society for Trenchless Technology.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- In Sweden there is a lack of knowledge on the expected service life of installed CIPP-liners and a general aim to request CIPP-liners with a 100-year lifespan. In cooperation with Swedish water utilities a national project has been launched for condition monitoring of used CIPP-liners. A large number of CIPP-liners installed in sewage pipes will be excavated and analyzed in order to evaluate material degradation and estimating remaining service life. The CIPP-liners are all between 5-35 years old. The material performance of the CIPP-liners are either compared with the reference data provided from the installation, or in some case compared to pieces of corresponding CIPP-liners that have been kept in a storage. These pieces becomes especially valuable when looking at possible changes in mechanical properties that may have occurred during the time in use. The materials will be assessed by e.g. bending modulus to investigate material integrity and e.g. FT-IR for chemical stability in the environment of the sewage system. In total the results will give a valuable tool in assessing the expected lifetime of the installed CIPP-liners. The knowledge acquired will help Swedish water utilities to predict service life of installed CIPP-liners and to set sufficient quality demands on new installations for pipe renovation. At an initial stage two excavated CIPP-liners that have been in use for 12 and 16 years have been analyzed and compared with reference data from the time of installation.
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| 7. |
- Pallon, Love K. H., et al.
(författare)
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Formation and the structure of freeze-dried MgO nanoparticle foams and their electrical behaviour in polyethylene
- 2015
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Ingår i: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 3:14, s. 7523-7534
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Electrically insulating low-density polyethylene (LDPE) nanocomposites based on dispersed MgO nanoparticle foams are reported. The foams were obtained via freeze-drying aqueous suspensions of precipitated ca. 40 nm wide and 10 nm thick Mg(OH)(2) nanoparticles and dewatering (calcining) at 400 degrees C, resulting in a 25 times more voluminous powder compared to conventionally dried nanoparticles. This powder handling prior to extrusion melt-processing greatly facilitated the nanocomposite preparation since no particle grinding was necessary. Large quantities of particles were prepared (>5 g), and the nanoparticle foams showed improved dispersion in the LDPE matrix with 70% smaller aggregate sizes compared to the conventionally dried and ground nanopowders. The nature of the nanoparticle foams was evaluated in terms of their dispersion on Si-wafers using ultrasonication as a dispersing aid, which showed to be detrimental for the nanoparticle separation into solitary particles and induced severe aggregation of the calcined nanoparticles. The grind-free MgO nanoparticles/LDPE-composite was evaluated by electrical measurement. The prepared composite showed an initial ca. 1.5 orders of magnitude lower charging current at 10(2) s, and a 4.2 times lower charging current after 16 hours compared to unfilled LDPE. The results open a way for improved insulation to be implemented in the future high-voltage cable system and present a new promising nanoparticle powder handling technique that can be used on a large scale.
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| 8. |
- Pallon, Love K. H., et al.
(författare)
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Three-Dimensional Nanometer Features of Direct Current Electrical Trees in Low-Density Polyethylene
- 2017
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Ingår i: Nano Letters. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1530-6992 .- 1530-6984. ; 17:3, s. 1402-1408
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Electrical trees are one reason for the breakdown of insulating materials in electrical power systems. An understanding of the growth of electrical trees plays a crucial role in the development of reliable high voltage direct current (HVDC) power grid systems with transmission voltages up to 1 MV. A section that contained an electrical tree in low-density polyethylene (LDPE) has been visualized in three dimensions (3D) with a resolution of 92 nm by X-ray ptychographic tomography. The 3D imaging revealed prechannel-formations with a lower density with the width of a couple of hundred nanometers formed around the main branch of the electrical tree. The prechannel structures were partially connected with the main tree via paths through material with a lower density, proving that the tree had grown in a step-by-step manner via the prestep structures formed in front of the main channels. All the prechannel structures had a size well below the limit of the Paschen law and were thus not formed by partial discharges. Instead, it is suggested that the prechannel structures were formed by electro-mechanical stress and impact ionization, where the former was confirmed by simulations to be a potential explanation with electro-mechanical stress tensors being almost of the same order of magnitude as the short-term modulus of low-density polyethylene.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Pourrahimi, Amir Masoud, et al.
(författare)
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Polyethylene nanocomposites for the next generation of ultra-low transmission-loss HVDC cables: insulations containing moisture-resistant MgO nanoparticles
- 2016
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Ingår i: ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1944-8252 .- 1944-8244. ; 8:23, s. 14824-14835
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The use of MgO nanoparticles in polyethylene for cable insulation has attracted considerable interest, although in humid media the surface regions of the nanoparticles undergo a conversion to a hydroxide phase. A facile method to obtain MgO nanoparticles with a large surface area and remarkable inertness to humidity is presented. The method involves (a) low temperature (400 °C) thermal decomposition of Mg(OH)2, (b) a silicone oxide coating to conceal the nanoparticles and prevent interparticle sintering upon exposure to high temperatures, and (c) heat treatment at 1000 °C. The formation of the hydroxide phase on these silicone oxide-coated MgO nanoparticles after extended exposure to humid air was assessed by thermogravimetry, infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The nanoparticles showed essentially no sign of any hydroxide phase compared to particles prepared by the conventional single-step thermal decomposition of Mg(OH)2. The moisture-resistant MgO nanoparticles showed improved dispersion and interfacial adhesion in the LDPE matrix with smaller nanosized particle clusters compared with conventionally prepared MgO. The addition of 1 wt % moisture-resistant MgO nanoparticles was sufficient to decrease the conductivity of polyethylene 30 times. The reduction in conductivity is discussed in terms of defect concentration on the surface of the moisture-resistant MgO nanoparticles at the polymer/nanoparticle interface.
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