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Electrical Properties of Polymer Composites

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Composites and Nanocomposites".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 July 2025 | Viewed by 2394

Special Issue Editor

School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Harbin University of Science and Technology, Harbin 150080, China
Interests: insulating materials; nonlinear corona protective polymer matrix materials; dielectric properties of polymer matrix composites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymer composites are materials composed of a polymer matrix reinforced with filler materials like particles, fibers, or flakes, offering a diverse range of electrical properties. Depending on the filler type and concentration, these composites can exhibit either conductivity or insulation characteristics. Conductivity is achieved by integrating conductive fillers such as carbon nanotubes, graphene, or metal particles. Adjustability in the dielectric constant and the dielectric loss of composites is vital for applications in capacitors and electronic devices. Enhanced breakdown strength, crucial for insulation, is attainable through filler addition. Certain composites show piezoresistive behavior, modifying electrical resistance under mechanical stress; this also proves useful for sensing applications. Furthermore, the electrical properties of these composites can fluctuate with temperature changes, impacting the charge carrier mobility and overall conductivity. Understanding and customizing these properties facilitates the optimization of polymer composites for various electrical applications, ranging from electronics to energy storage and sensing technologies. Overall, the electrical properties of polymer composites can be tailored to meet specific application requirements by carefully selecting the composition, structure, and processing conditions of the materials

Dr. Yang Yu
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • polymer composites
  • electrical properties
  • energy storage

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 8156 KiB  
Article
Optimization of Insulation Structure Design for Enameled Wires Based on Molecular Structure Design
by Yang Yu, Siyuan Li, Ling Weng, Xiaorui Zhang, Laiweiqing Liu and Qingguo Chen
Polymers 2025, 17(8), 1002; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17081002 - 8 Apr 2025
Viewed by 270
Abstract
The performance of enameled wires has an important impact on new energy vehicle motors. The mainstream practice of existing technology is to improve partial discharge inception voltage (PDIV) by doping powder to inhibit corona and increase varnish thickness, the limitations of which are [...] Read more.
The performance of enameled wires has an important impact on new energy vehicle motors. The mainstream practice of existing technology is to improve partial discharge inception voltage (PDIV) by doping powder to inhibit corona and increase varnish thickness, the limitations of which are also obvious. Powder doping has the problem of dispersion stability, and increasing the varnish thickness affects the size and power density of the motor. In this paper, a novel insulation structure design was given. The electronic field stress was controlled by using different dielectric constant materials, and the dielectric constants can be controlled by adjusting the free volume of the polymer. Finally, we specifically create a preparation scheme to increase the corona voltage and the PDIV, without a loss of the breakdown margin of the enameled wire, and the simulation results show that the outermost electric field strength of the enameled wire model decreases by 22.11% and the enameled wire breakdown margin increases by 26.85%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrical Properties of Polymer Composites)
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17 pages, 4872 KiB  
Article
Influence of the Heterophasic Structure and Its Characteristics on the DC Electrical Properties of Impact Polypropylene Copolymer
by Xinhao Huang, Jiaming Yang, Xindong Zhao, Xu Yang, Kai Wang, Dianyu Wang and Zhe Fu
Polymers 2025, 17(7), 951; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17070951 - 31 Mar 2025
Viewed by 130
Abstract
Space charge injection in polypropylene (PP) significantly weakens the stability of HVDC cables. Impact polypropylene copolymer (IPC) is often used as insulation material for AC cables, but in the DC field, IPC has the problem of space charge accumulation. This is because there [...] Read more.
Space charge injection in polypropylene (PP) significantly weakens the stability of HVDC cables. Impact polypropylene copolymer (IPC) is often used as insulation material for AC cables, but in the DC field, IPC has the problem of space charge accumulation. This is because there is a multi-phase structure inside the IPC to which ethylene monomer was added in the production process, and the difference in physicochemical properties of each phase is an important reason for the accumulation of space charge inside the material. In this work, the vinyl phases and propenyl phases of two types of IPC were separated. The film samples were prepared and tested at 30 °C and 50 °C for DC electrical conductivity, and at 30 °C, 50 °C, and 80 °C for space charge. The experimental results show that the DC conductivity of vinyl phases is significantly higher than that of propenyl phases in both types of IPC. The degrees of mismatch between the DC conductivity of vinyl phase and that of propenyl phase are different in the two types of IPC, and the mismatch degree of DC conductivity is from several times to hundreds of times. The conductivity of the two vinyl samples is ohmic. The conductivity of the two propenyl phases shows nonlinearity under different electric field intensity, and the mismatch degree of the two phases increases with temperature. Compared to untreated IPC, at all test temperatures, the maximum space charge density of the propenyl samples is much lower, which can be reduced by about 1/3 at 50 °C and by about 50% at 80 °C. The density of heteropolar charge produced by impurity ionization in the samples and the depth of electrode injection both decreased. At each temperature, the distortion rate of the electric field in propenyl samples is lower than that in IPC, the distortion rate can be reduced by more than 15%, and the distortion rate can be reduced by nearly half at 80 °C. The charge dissipation characteristic of propenyl samples during depolarization is also optimized compared with IPC samples, the time required for charge dissipation to reach stability is shortened, and the residual charge density in the sample is reduced at the end of depolarization. In addition, the relevance between the variation of DC conductivity of phases and space charge characteristics was discussed according to SCLC (space charge limited current) theory. This work provides a feasible reference for the manufacture of high-reliability polypropylene-based cable material with excellent insulation performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrical Properties of Polymer Composites)
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18 pages, 5222 KiB  
Article
Electrochemical Performance of Guanidinium Salt-Added PVP/PEO Solid Polymer Electrolyte with Superior Power Density
by Anbazhagan Murugan, Vadivel Siva, Abdul Samad Shameem, Paranthaman Vijayakumar, Arangarajan Viji, Jintae Lee and Govindasamy Palanisamy
Polymers 2025, 17(2), 206; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17020206 - 15 Jan 2025
Viewed by 795
Abstract
Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) for symmetrical supercapacitors are proposed herein with activated carbon as electrodes and optimized solid polymer electrolyte membranes, which serve as the separators and electrolytes. We propose the design of a low-cost solid polymer electrolyte consisting of guanidinium nitrate (GuN) [...] Read more.
Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) for symmetrical supercapacitors are proposed herein with activated carbon as electrodes and optimized solid polymer electrolyte membranes, which serve as the separators and electrolytes. We propose the design of a low-cost solid polymer electrolyte consisting of guanidinium nitrate (GuN) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) with poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP). Using the solution casting approach, blended polymer electrolytes with varying GuN weight percentage ratios of PVP and PEO are prepared. On the blended polymer electrolytes, structural, morphological, vibrational, and ionic conductivity are investigated. The solid polymer electrolytes’ morphology and level of roughness are examined using an FESEM. The interlinking bond formation between the blended polymers and the GuN salt is verified by FTIR measurements, indicating that the ligands are chemically complex. We found that, up to 20 wt.% GuN, the conductivity value increased (1.84 × 10−6 S/cm) with an increase in mobile charge carriers. Notably, the optimized PVP/PEO/20 wt.% solid polymer electrolyte was fabricated into a solid-state symmetrical supercapacitor device, which delivered a potential window of 0 to 2 V, a superior energy density of 3.88 Wh kg−1, and a power density of 1132 W kg−1. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrical Properties of Polymer Composites)
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25 pages, 17433 KiB  
Article
Silicone Composites with Electrically Oriented Boron Nitride Platelets and Carbon Microfibers for Thermal Management of Electronics
by Romeo Cristian Ciobanu, Magdalena Aflori, Cristina Mihaela Scheiner, Mihaela Aradoaei and Dorel Buncianu
Polymers 2025, 17(2), 204; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17020204 - 15 Jan 2025
Viewed by 854
Abstract
This study investigated silicone composites with distributed boron nitride platelets and carbon microfibers that are oriented electrically. The process involved homogenizing and dispersing nano/microparticles in the liquid polymer, aligning the particles with DC and AC electric fields, and curing the composite with IR [...] Read more.
This study investigated silicone composites with distributed boron nitride platelets and carbon microfibers that are oriented electrically. The process involved homogenizing and dispersing nano/microparticles in the liquid polymer, aligning the particles with DC and AC electric fields, and curing the composite with IR radiation to trap particles within chains. This innovative concept utilized two fields to align particles, improving the even distribution of carbon microfibers among BN in the chains. Based on SEM images, the chains are uniformly distributed on the surface of the sample, fully formed and mature, but their architecture critically depends on composition. The physical and electrical characteristics of composites were extensively studied with regard to the composition and orientation of particles. The higher the concentration of BN platelets, the greater the enhancement of dielectric permittivity, but the effect decreases gradually after reaching a concentration of 15%. The impact of incorporating carbon microfibers into the dielectric permittivity of composites is clearly beneficial, especially when the BN content surpasses 12%. Thermal conductivity showed a significant improvement in all samples with aligned particles, regardless of their composition. For homogeneous materials, the thermal conductivity is significantly enhanced by the inclusion of carbon microfibers, particularly when the boron nitride content exceeds 12%. The biggest increase happened when carbon microfibers were added at a rate of 2%, while the BN content surpassed 15.5%. The thermal conductivity of composites is greatly improved by adding carbon microfibers when oriented particles are present, even at BN content over 12%. When the BN content surpasses 15.5%, the effect diminishes as the fibers within chains are only partly vertically oriented, with BN platelets prioritizing vertical alignment. The outcomes of this study showed improved results for composites with BN platelets and carbon microfibers compared to prior findings in the literature, all while utilizing a more straightforward approach for processing the polymer matrix and aligning particles. In contrast to current technologies, utilizing homologous materials with uniformly dispersed particles, the presented technology reduces ingredient consumption by 5–10 times due to the arrangement in chains, which enhances heat transfer efficiency in the desired direction. The present technology can be used in a variety of industrial settings, accommodating different ingredients and film thicknesses, and can be customized for various applications in electronics thermal management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electrical Properties of Polymer Composites)
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