Impact of Nanocomposite Thin Layer on Nanoparticles Dispersion and their Dielectric Properties

Polymer nanocomposite based dielectric materials have enabled significant improvements in electrical endurance and mechanical strength, which broadens its insulation applications. The key role played by the nanoparticles dispersion and interfacial area proves to be essential to these improvements. This work addresses the construction of multi-structure insulation with a thin layer of polyimide/silica nanoparticles on top of polyimide (PI) film. The construction of PI/nanocomposite 3D model based on actual boundary conditions obtained from TEM scanning image of laboratory produced samples is also addressed in this work. This multi-structure model is designed to predict the altered dielectric properties on bases of real experimental observations. Our results demonstrate that nanoparticles agglomeration phenomenon is reduced and their dispersion level is improved by using thin layer of nanocomposite in multi-layer polyimide film instead of using one single layer PI/nanocomposite film. Therefore, that leads to better dielectric properties, less space charge accumulation and low electric field enhancement factor in multi-layer films. In multi-structure, films presence of top nanocomposite layer acts as barrier and provides resistance to space charge injection from the electrodes. Further research of different thicknesses of nanoparticles layer will also need to be conducted.