| Since last few decades, polymer based outdoor insulation materials are being increasingly used in the power industry. Polymeric insulation materials present attractive advantages such as light weight, resistance to vandalism and best performance under contaminated conditions. However, their electrical, mechanical and thermal properties could not meet the requirements of high voltage outdoor insulation applications. These properties are commonly improved by filling the base polymer with huge loadings (< 50 wt.%) of micron sized fillers. This huge filler loading makes the process ability of the polymer composite complex due to substantial rise in the viscosity of the material and outside a certain limit, the plasticity of the product also suffers. These process limitations and the recent failures in the field recommend the necessity for an alternate material with enhanced properties even at lower filler loadings. Recently nanocomposites are emerging as capable alternatives which can present the vital properties at lower filler loadings without sacrificing the plasticity in the end product as well as ease of processing. As the development of polymer nanocomposites for high voltage outdoor insulation applications is still at its immaturity, it is necessary to investigate their preparation and characterization properties desired for outdoor applications and to comprehend the various mechanisms accountable for the unique behavior of the nanocomposites. This paper presents an overview of nanocomposites as outdoor insulation at the present. |
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