Mechanisms leading to nonlinear electrical response of a nano p-SiC/silicone rubber composite

It is well known that hopping of charge carriers via spatially and energetically distributed localized states is a primary transport mechanism in many disordered semiconductors and polymeric dielectrics. In this contribution, the nonlinear I-V physics of a 25 vol% 50 nm p-SiC/silicone rubber composite for high voltage field grading application was investigated, and a composite bulk hopping mechanism proposed. It is hypothesized that nearest-neighbor hole hopping occurs through thin rubbery layers between the SiC particles, and is the mechanism governing the nonlinear electric response of SiC/silicone rubber nanocomposites.