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Editorial

Interdisciplinary Approaches towards Materials with Enhanced Properties for Electrical Engineering

Polymer Competence Center Leoben, Roseggerstrasse 12, Leoben 8700, Austria
Polymers 2016, 8(8), 307; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym8080307
Submission received: 1 August 2016 / Accepted: 12 August 2016 / Published: 16 August 2016
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nano- and Microcomposites for Electrical Engineering Applications)
The internationally growing demand for electrical energy is one of the most prominent triggers stimulating research these days. In this highly interdisciplinary research area, electrical engineers, material scientists and chemists collaborate for the design and fabrication of the next generation of high-voltage machinery and electro-technical devices. Nanocomposites with enhanced thermal conductivity and improved electric properties are in the center of these joint research activities. Hence, in this Special Issue of the open-access journal Polymers, the state-of-the-art research and technology of the area ‘micro- and nanocomposites for electrical engineering applications’ has been summarized in three review articles, while the current research trends and the development and characterization of novel materials have been described in eight original research articles.
State-of-the-art of research and technology. The comprehensive review article by Plesa et al. addresses with dedication the structure-property relationships of composite materials with special respect to their electric properties and the resulting potential application fields [1]. Originating from the high demands regarding the reliability and lifetime expectance of high-voltage engineering machineries such as generators and transformers, the mechanical properties of insulating resins and the corresponding micro- and nanocomposites are of prime importance; this topic has been summarized in the review article by Moser and Feuchter [2], in which epoxy-based resins are discussed in detail. Mica/epoxy composites are the most commonly used insulation materials in high-voltage rotating machines, and their properties as well as the possibly occurring failure mechanisms of the composite material have been described in the review article by Andraschek and colleagues [3].
Novel composites based on epoxy resins or on low-density polyethylene. The preparation as well as the isotropic electrical properties (in the case of additionally present silver nanowires) of epoxy-based nanocomposites containing in-situ formed silver nanoparticles was reported by Kang, Lee, and Song [4]. Vaughan and Yeung described the effect of siloxane-mediated surface functionalization of silica nanoparticles [5]; the corresponding epoxy-based nanocomposites exhibited breakdown strengths that were increased by approx. 50% compared to the unfilled epoxy resin. Gubanski et al. reported the decrease of the direct current conductivity of low-density polyethylene composites containing inorganic fillers such as magnesium oxide and aluminum oxide [6]. In a subsequent study [7], a bipolar charge transport model was employed to investigate this reduction, from which the reduced charge injection at electrodes was identified as the most important parameter causing the observed effects.
Materials based on polymers from renewable resources and composites based on (per-) fluorinated polymers. Smit, Wiesbrock et al. reported the synthesis of crosslinkable copoly(2-oxazoline)s from fatty acids such as castor oil and coconut oil [8]. The crosslinked copolymers exhibited electric properties similar to those of polyamides, which renders them medium insulators. The in-situ preparation of reduced graphene oxide/carboxymethyl chitosan composites was described by Luo, Chen, and colleagues [9]. An electrode modified with this composite showed a high detection performance for bivalent copper ions. Nanocomposites of poly (vinylidene fluoride) and cube-shaped surface-hydroxylated Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 nanoparticles were reported by Zhai et al. to show an increased dielectric constant and improved breakdown strength compared to the unfilled polymer [10]. Mariotto and colleagues described composites of Nafion and nano-sized sulfated titanium dioxide [11], in which they found that the inclusion of 2 wt % of fillers yielded structures that consisted of filler-rich regions, which were separated by areas of almost pure Nafion. This structural arrangement does not easily provide any proton percolation path, and, hence, a higher resistance was expected for this composite.
In summary, this Special Issue of Polymers compiles the current state-of-the-art of research and technology in the area of ‘micro- and nanocomposites for electrical engineering applications’ and highlights prominent current research directions in the field. We very much hope that you enjoy reading it.

Acknowledgments

This work was performed in the K-Project PolyComp at the Polymer Competence Center Leoben GmbH within the framework of the COMET-program (Competence Centers for Excellent Technologies) of the Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology and Federal Ministry for Economy, Family and Youth. Funding is provided by the Austrian Government and the State Government of Styria.

Author Contributions

Frank Wiesbrock wrote the editorial.

Conflicts of Interest

The author declares no conflict of interest.

References

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  11. Allodi, V.; Brutti, S.; Giarola, M.; Sgambetterra, M.; Navarra, M.A.; Panero, S.; Mariotto, G. Structural and Spectroscopic Characterization of A Nanosized Sulfated TiO2 Filler and of Nanocomposite Nafion Membranes. Polymers 2016, 8, 68. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]

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MDPI and ACS Style

Wiesbrock, F. Interdisciplinary Approaches towards Materials with Enhanced Properties for Electrical Engineering. Polymers 2016, 8, 307. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym8080307

AMA Style

Wiesbrock F. Interdisciplinary Approaches towards Materials with Enhanced Properties for Electrical Engineering. Polymers. 2016; 8(8):307. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym8080307

Chicago/Turabian Style

Wiesbrock, Frank. 2016. "Interdisciplinary Approaches towards Materials with Enhanced Properties for Electrical Engineering" Polymers 8, no. 8: 307. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym8080307

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