Combined modulus and impedance spectra are widely employed to explore electrical inhomogeneity and carriers' behaviors in dielectric ceramics based on equivalent circuit. However, discrepancies are found between practical dielectric responses and widely proposed equivalent circuits. Taking ZnO varistor ceramics as an example, a low-frequency dielectric relaxation, which can be detected in practical dielectric spectroscopy, is overlooked in simulated dielectric spectroscopy based on the proposed equivalent circuit according to modulus and impedance spectra. Therefore, equivalent circuits are frequently incomplete because the real low-frequency dielectric response is unable to be characterized from them. The problem originates from debatable understanding of frequency responses in modulus and impedance spectra. The low-frequency peak in modulus spectroscopy is proved originating from DC conductance instead of a real dielectric relaxation and the involvement of DC conductance component makes a low-frequency dielectric relaxation unable to be characterized in modulus spectroscopy. Therefore, improved dielectric spectroscopy eliminating the component of DC conductance is proposed and a clear peak corresponding to the low-frequency dielectric relaxation appears. In addition, a modified equivalent circuit which is in accordance with practical dielectric responses in not only modulus and impedance spectra but also dielectric spectroscopy is presented.

Polyimide has excellent electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties and is widely used as a dielectric material in electrical equipment and electronic devices. However, the influencing mechanism of sample thickness on electrical breakdown of polyimide has not been very clear until now. The direct current (DC) electrical breakdown properties of polyimide as a function of thickness were investigated by experiments and simulations of space charge modulated electrical breakdown (SCEB) model and charge transport and molecular displacement modulated (CTMD) model. The experimental results show that the electrical breakdown field decreases with an increase in the sample thickness in the form of an inverse power function, and the inverse power index is 0.324. Trap properties and carrier mobility were also measured for the simulations. Both the simulation results obtained by the SCEB model and the CTMD model have the inverse power forms of breakdown field as a function of thickness with the power indexes of 0.030 and 0.339. The outputs of the CTMD model were closer to the experiments. This indicates that the displacement of a molecular chain with occupied deep traps enlarging the free volume might be a main factor causing the DC electrical breakdown field of polyimide varying with sample thickness.

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Dielectric energy storage capacitors have advantages such as ultra-high power density, extremely fast charge and discharge speed, long service lifespan and are significant for pulsed power system, smart power grid, and power electronics. Polypropylene (PP) is one of the most widely used dielectric materials for dielectric energy storage capacitors. It is of interest to investigate how to improve its electrical breakdown strength by nanodoping and the influencing mechanism of nanodoping on the electrical breakdown properties of polymer nanocomposites. PP/Al2O3 nanocomposite dielectric materials with various weight fraction of nanoparticles are fabricated by melt-blending and hot-pressing methods. Thermally stimulated current, surface potential decay, and dc electrical breakdown experiments show that deep trap properties and associated molecular chain motion are changed by incorporating nanofillers into polymer matrix, resulting in the variations in conductivity and dc electrical breakdown field of nanocomposite dielectrics. Then, a charge transport and molecular displacement modulated electrical breakdown model is utilized to simulate the dc electrical breakdown behavior. It is found that isolated interfacial regions formed in nanocomposite dielectrics at relatively low loadings reduce the effective carrier mobility and strengthen the interaction between molecular chains, hindering the transport of charges and the displacement of molecular chains with occupied deep traps. Accordingly, the electrical breakdown strength is enhanced at relatively low loadings. Interfacial regions may overlap in nanocomposite dielectrics at relatively high loadings so that the effective carrier mobility decreases and the interaction between molecular chains may be weakened. Consequently, the molecular motion is accelerated by electric force, leading to the decrease in electrical breakdown strength. The experiments and simulations reveals that the influence of nanodoping on dc electrical breakdown properties may origin from the changes in the charge transport and molecular displacement characteristics caused by interfacial regions in nanocomposite dielectrics.

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Nanoparticles currently in use are challenged in further improving the dielectric strength of insulating oil. There is a great need for a new type of nanoparticle to promote the application of insulating oil-based nanofluids in electric industries. This paper experimentally investigates the effect of nanoparticle morphology on pre-breakdown and breakdown properties of insulating oil-based nanofluids. The positive impulse breakdown voltage of insulating oil can be significantly increased by up to 55.5% by the presence of TiO2 nanorods, up to 1.23 times that of TiO2 nanospheres. Pre-breakdown streamer propagation characteristics reveal that streamer discharge channels turn into a bush-like shape with much denser and shorter branches in the nanofluid with TiO2 nanorods. Moreover, the propagation velocity of streamers is dramatically decreased to 34.7% of that in the insulating oil. The greater improvement of nanorods on the breakdown property can be attributed to the lower distortion of the electric field. Thus, when compared with nanospheres, pre-breakdown streamer propagation of nanofluid is much more suppressed with the addition of nanorods, resulting in a greater breakdown voltage.

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