Influence of xylene on the dielectric response of an organoclay-containing nanocomposite

• Published in: IET Nanodielectrics Vol. 3; no. 2; pp. 62 - 67
• Main Authors: Shaw, Allison V, Vaughan, Alun S, Andritsch, Thomas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Beijing The Institution of Engineering and Technology 01.06.2020; John Wiley & Sons, Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: clay; composite system; copolymer; DC dielectric breakdown strength measurements; Dielectric breakdown; dielectric effect; Dielectric properties; dielectric relaxation; dielectric response; dielectric spectroscopy; Dielectric strength; electric breakdown; electric strength; Electrical properties; ethylene; filled polymers; high field conditions; Investigations; Light diffraction; low molar mass impurities; Morphology; Nanocomposites; organoclay-containing nanocomposite; permittivity; polyethylene; polymer blends; Polymers; Research Article; Solvents; synergistic response; unfilled polymer blend; Vinyl acetate; Xylene; X‐ray diffraction; X‐ray diffraction data; electric strength; dielectric response; composite system; polymer blends; dielectric spectroscopy; copolymer; electric breakdown; X-ray diffraction; X-ray diffraction data; nanocomposites; ethylene; clay; polyethylene; xylene; dielectric effect; vinyl acetate; low molar mass impurities; permittivity; electrical properties; dielectric relaxation; high field conditions; organoclay-containing nanocomposite; filled polymers; synergistic response; DC dielectric breakdown strength measurements; unfilled polymer blend
• ISSN: 2514-3255; 2514-3255
• DOI: 10.1049/iet-nde.2019.0009

The dielectric effect, investigated using dielectric spectroscopy and DC dielectric breakdown strength measurements, of introducing xylene into a composite system containing polyethylene, a co-polymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate and an organoclay can be understood in light of X-ray diffraction data. In dielectric spectroscopy, although organoclay alone changes the dielectric response of the polymer blend and xylene has no effect on the unfilled polymer blend, when both xylene and organoclay are present, a synergistic response is revealed at the 1 Vrms amplitude voltage used to acquire the dielectric data. In contrast to this, in DC, dielectric breakdown strength measurements revealed that, under high field conditions, both the xylene and organoclay, independently, caused a decreased breakdown strength. This work was undertaken in order to examine the generality of the possible effects of labile, low molar mass impurities on electrical properties of comparable systems, which may be processed through solvent-based routes.