Structure and DC Breakdown Properties of Polypropylene/Elastomer Blends

Thermoplastic materials, such as polypropylene (PP), are highly favored for usage as high voltage cable insulation systems due to their high melting temperature and flexible mechanical and electrical characteristics. In this regard, PP has the capability to replace standard crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) as a future high voltage insulating material. Recently, the addition of elastomers into PP is being extensively investigated. This paper reports the effect of using different types of elastomers, at 10 wt%, on the structure and DC breakdown properties of PP blends. Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was performed to analyze the chemical structures and DC breakdown testing was carried out to evaluate the DC breakdown characteristics of the PP blends. From the breakdown results, PP blended with different types of elastomers had different values of DC breakdown strength, even though the amount of elastomers was kept the same at 10 wt%.