Preparation of Alumina-Silica Composite Coatings by Electrophoretic Deposition and their Electric Insulation Properties

Alumina-silica composite coating layers were prepared by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of plate-shaped alumina particles dispersed in a sol-gel binder, which was prepared by hydrolysis and the condensation reaction of methyltrimethoxysilane in the presence of colloidal silica. The microstructure and the electrical and thermal properties of the coatings were compared according to the EPD process parameter: voltage, time and the content of the plate-shaped alumina particles. The electrical insulation property of the coatings was measured by a voltage test. The coatings were prepared by EPD of the sol-gel binder with 5-30 wt% plate alumina particles on parallel electrodes at a distance of 2 cm for 1-10 min under an applied voltage of 10-30 V. The coatings experienced increased breakdown voltage with increasing thickness. However, the higher the thickness was, the smaller the breakdown voltage strength was. A breakdown voltage as high as 4.6 kV was observed with a 400 vm thickness, and a breakdown voltage strength as high as 27 kV/mm was achieved for the sample under a 100 vm thickness.