Abstract—This paper focuses enhancement of the electrical insulation properties of commercial polycarbonate using nanostructured alumina as an additive material. Various polycarbonate composites have been prepared by varying the level of additive material and DC conductivity in presence of oxygen of the derived composite materials has been measured in which activation energy (Ea) profiles of the composites have been evaluated. Results show that the incorporation of additive significantly reduces the Ea for the DC conductivity of the composites, compared to the base polycarbonate material. Further, the decrease in the Ea in the DC conductivity is found to be dependent on the level of the additive in the composite body. As the polycarbonate polymers are used in the manufacturing of various insulating products, this study indicates the possibility of using such commercial polymers in the form of composites as a superior insulating material in the fields of electrical or electronic insulation and allied areas.
Index Terms—Activation energy, nano-structured alumina, DC conductivity, electrical insulation.
Sukumar Roy is with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited Corporate R&D, Ceramic Technological Institute, Bangalore, Karnataka, India (e-mail: sroy@bhelepd.com). K. Uma Rao is with the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, R.V. College of Engineering, Bangalore, Karnataka, India (email: umarao_k@yahoo.co.in).
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Cite:Sudha L. K., Sukumar Roy, and K. Uma Rao, "Evaluation of Activation Energy (Ea) Profiles of Nanostructured Alumina Polycarbonate Composite Insulation Materials," International Journal of Materials, Mechanics and Manufacturing vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 96-100, 2014.
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