RETRACTED ARTICLE: Three-Dimensional Fluorescence Imaging of Electrical Tree Morphology in Epoxy Resin

Insulation failure due to electrical tree degradation is a challenge for epoxy resin (EP) operating in high electric field environments. To provide an experimental basis for the electrical tree inhibition method, we observed the inception times/voltages and growth rates of EP electrical trees at different ambient temperatures in real time using a micro-charge-coupled device, and proposed an in situ nondestructive observation method for obtaining the three-dimensional morphology of the EP electrical tree by fluorescence imaging. We also elucidated the influence mechanism of ambient temperatures on the growth characteristics of electrical trees by the molecular dynamics method. The results revealed that increasing the ambient temperature could increase the fractional free volume of a cross-linked EP system, resulting in increased charge carrier damage to the molecular chains, thus promoting the growth of EP electrical trees.