Influence of neutron irradiation on the mechanical and dielectric properties of epoxy/titanium oxide nanocomposite

The exposure of polymeric insulation in nuclear power plants necessitates the study of the effect of neutron irradiation on the mechanical and dielectric properties of neat and nano-filled polymeric-based insulation materials. The exposure of the materials to ionizing radiation can influence their dielectric and insulating properties. This work presents the influence of neutron irradiation on the dielectric behavior of neat and nanoparticle-filled Epoxy-TiO2 nanocomposite. The prepared neat and nanocomposite samples were exposed to neutron radiation in the Nigeria Research Reactor I (NIRR-I). The mechanical and dielectric analyses of the samples were performed before and after irradiation. The presence of 2 wt% TiO2 nanoparticles in the epoxy matrix resulted in optimum mechanical and dielectric behavior. While the presence of the nanoparticles seems to have a significant influence on the reduction of the mechanical degradation of the composite (39.96%-12.11% after exposure to 4.5 kGy), it does not have much influence on the reduction of the dielectric loss of the composite. The variation of temperature of the sample revealed that the 2 wt% nanoparticles filled polymer displayed higher relaxation activated energy. The research suggests that the filling of the epoxy polymer with 2 wt% TiO2 nanoparticles can modify the mechanical and dielectric relaxation behavior of the polymer composites. This could enhance the resistance of the composite material to the effect of radiation-induced degradation in the polymeric insulation.