Influence of Phthalic Acid on the Process of Dendrite Development in Low-Density Polyethylene During Electrical Breakdown

The presented work presents the results of a study on the effect of small amounts of phthalic acid additives on dendrite formation in low-density polyethene (LDPE). Based on the results obtained, it is shown that the dendrite resistance of LDPE, as expected, increases with the introduction of 0.05 wt% phthalic acid. The established increase in dendrite resistance of LDPE with the introduction of phthalic acid can primarily be explained based on a decrease in inhomogeneities in the form of air pores as a result of accelerated structure formation and the emergence of a more homogeneous supramolecular structure. It was revealed that an increase in dendrite resistance correlates with an improvement in the dielectric characteristics of the composition. The influence of mechanical load on the development of dendrites in polymer dielectrics has been studied. As a result of studying the growth of dendrites in LDPE samples and its optimal composition subjected to unilateral stretching, it was found that under the influence of mechanical tensile stresses, the shape of the surface delimiting tree-like shoots changes, this surface is flattened in the direction of stretching. It has been shown that the rate of dendrite growth increases as mechanical tensile forces increase.