Wet flashover voltage improvement of the ceramics with dielectric barrier discharge

Surface modification techniques with plasma are widely investigated to improve the surface insulation capability of polymers under dry conditions, while the relationship between treatment method, surface physical and chemical properties, and wet flashover voltage is still unclear for inorganic ceramics. In this work, the surface insulation properties of ceramics under wet conditions are improved using nanosecond-pulsed dielectric barrier discharge with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as the precursor. The relationships between PDMS concentration and the water contact angle, dry and wet flashover voltages are obtained to acquire the optimal concentration. The surface charge dissipation test and surface physio-chemical property measurement with SEM, AFM, XPS are carried out to further explore the mechanism of surface insulation enhancement. The results show that film deposition with micron thickness and superhydrophobicity occurs at the PDMS concentration of 1.5%. The dry flashover voltage is increased by 14.6% due to the induction of deep traps, while the wet flashover voltage is increased by 66.7%. The gap between dry-wet flashover voltage is decreased by 62.3% compared with the untreated one due to the self-cleaning effect.

Automated summary

Surface modification techniques with plasma have been extensively researched to enhance the surface insulation capability of polymers under dry conditions. However, the relationship between treatment method, surface physical and chemical properties, and wet flashover voltage for inorganic ceramics remains unclear. In this study, nanosecond-pulsed dielectric barrier discharge with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as the precursor was used to improve the surface insulation properties of ceramics under wet conditions. The optimal PDMS concentration was determined by investigating the relationships between PDMS concentration and water contact angle, and dry and wet flashover voltages. Surface charge dissipation test and various surface physio-chemical property measurements were conducted to understand the mechanism of surface insulation enhancement. The results demonstrated that a micron-thick film deposition with superhydrophobicity occurred at a PDMS concentration of 1.5%. The dry flashover voltage increased by 14.6% due to the induction of deep traps, while the wet flashover voltage increased by 66.7%. The gap between dry and wet flashover voltage decreased by 62.3% compared to the untreated sample due to the self-cleaning effect.