Significantly improved breakdown performances of propylene carbonate‐based nano‐fluids

Abstract

It is found that propylene carbonate (PC)‐based nano‐fluids (NFs) exhibit substantially larger breakdown voltages and higher breakdown stabilities than that of pure PC when they contain various nano‐particles with different conductivity and permittivity. However, both the fast electron scavenging model and the potential well model fail to explain these experimental phenomena rationally. It is proposed that the interaction region between nano‐particles and PC will create myriad trap sites and capture electric charge carriers effectively. Therefore, the trapped and accumulated homo‐charges can weaken the electric field intensity, increase the charge injection barrier height and reduce further charge injection in the vicinity of electrodes. This is the main physical mechanism for the enhanced dielectric performances of PC‐based NFs.