Structure of polypropylene, ethylene-propylene- diene-monomer and magnesium oxide for the formulation of PP blend nanocomposites

Abstract

In the realm of dielectrics, polypropylene (PP) has lately been suggested as a reasonable replacement for cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) due to PP's advantageous characteristics of high durability under heat stress of 150 °C and its ease of recycling when compared to XLPE. Nevertheless, high-voltage cable insulation cannot be extruded from PP because it is stiffer than XLPE. When compared to XLPE, PP has a lower thermal conductivity at room temperature, which would normally lead to poorer dielectric characteristics. As a result, PP needs to be changed in order to change both its physical and electrical properties. This investigation suggested PP and ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) to be blended to create a PP blend with less overall stiffness. The work included characterizing the structure and the thermal behavior of the raw materials including PP, EPDM, and magnesium oxide (MgO). Several investigations involving thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to characterize the PP, EPDM, and MgO. The results showed that all the materials are thermally stable and appropriate for formulating PP blend nanocomposites.