Determination of electric breakdown strength for various materials in pure water

The authors present results of experiments designed to maximize the electric breakdown strength of pure water subject to high-voltage pulses and effective stress times in excess of 50 ms. Several hypotheses for improving voltage holdoff are presented and evaluated: charge injection from the electrodes, potential-of-zero-charge (PZC) and other electromechanical effects in the interfacial double-layer, the effect of oxide coating, micron-sized particles in the water, and organic contamination. A description of the apparatus and test procedures is included.<>