Characteristic Investigation of Novel High Voltage Polyamide Nanocomposite Insulator /

Abstract

Polymer nanocomposites have attracted wide interest in insulation industries. The addition of fillers in the polymer matrix resulted in significant enhancements in the properties of individual polymers. Polyamide is a thermoplastic synthetic polymer which is used in cable and motor insulation applications. Polyamide nanocomposites were fabricated with 0,1,3,5 and 7 wt.% of ZnO nanoparticles using the solution casting method. The formation of nanocomposites was confirmed by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The prepared composites were studied for water repellency using STRI hydrophobicity classification and contact angle techniques, thermal and dielectric properties. In general, remarkable results were obtained by the addition of fillers, however, among the composites PA1 and PA3 expressed the best results. HC-1 hydrophobicity class and highest contact angle of 110.11 o was recorded for PA3. PA1and PA3 expressed band gap energy of 3.61eV and 4.60eV, respectively which is higheras compared to other samples. The thermal stability was also higher for PA1 and PA3. The composites with higher filler concentrations i.e., PA5 and PA7 expressed depreciated trend in the properties and the reasons for these depreciations are discussed.