Effect of additives on DC treeing breakdown in polyethylene under divergent fields

The effect of additives on DC treeing breakdown phenomena and space-charge formation in polymeric materials is studied under divergent fields. Experimental results are presented to show that: (1) The DC treeing breakdown phenomena are considerably affected by the space charge. (2) The presence of acetophenon in low-density polyethylene (LDPE) enhances the amount of accumulated space charge, while blending with ionomer or polyamide suppresses it. (3) Blending ionomer or polyamide into LDPE improves the DC tree resistance.<>