Surface structural characterization of polymer composite insulators for improved weather resistance

聚合物基材料有望用于电力线路绝缘体，作为当前玻璃或陶瓷设计的替代品。塑料结构可以提供增加的电阻，降低制造和安装成本，并具有更轻的重量。然而，仍有工作要做，在条款制定的材料，使其能够承受极端的夏季和冬季条件的气候。这一领域的一大挑战是对除冰剂的耐化学性。到目前为止，已经对硅树脂和EPDM（三元乙丙橡胶）橡胶等材料进行了测试，并得出了一些一般性的结论，但仍有待了解这些材料在电气负载下对风化的反应。在这个建议中，结合表面特异性光谱，显微镜，和宏观测量的疏水性将进行。其目的是确定哪些材料在特定的化学和物理条件下表现最好，并能够为任何观察到的材料性能退化提供分子水平的解释。同时，该项目为培养下一代科学家提供了许多机会，使他们掌握先进的化学结构和材料表征方法。

Polymer-based materials are promising for use in insulators for electrical power lines as an alternative tocurrent glass or ceramic designs. The plastic structures can offer increased electrical resistance, lowermanufacturing and installation cost, and be of lighter weight. However, there is still work to be done in termsof formulating the material so that it can withstand the extreme summer and winter conditions of Canadianclimates. A large challenge in this area is chemical resistance to de-icing agents. To date, testing of somematerials such as silicone and EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) rubbers has been carried out, andsome general findings exist, but it is remains to be understood how the materials respond to weathering undertheir electrical load. In this proposal, a combination of surface-specific spectroscopy, microscopy, andmacroscopic measurements of the hydrophobicity will be carried out. The aim is to identify which materialsperform the best under specific sets of chemical and physical conditions, and to be able to provide somemolecular-level explanation for any observed degradation in material performance. At the same time, thisproject provides many opportunities for training the next generation of scientists in advanced chemicalstructure and materials characterization methods.