Influence on electrical insulation characteristics of MAX phase Ti3AlC2 doping on polymer composite materials

MAX phase Ti3AlC2 has excellent properties of both metal and ceramic materials, including excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, oxidation resistance, and corrosion resistance. These characteristics make MAX phase Ti3AlC2 widely used in high-temperature structural materials, wear devices, and other fields. Few studies have been conducted on the effect of electrical insulation properties in terms of typical thermosetting epoxy and phenolic or typical thermosetting polyethylene and polypropylene after doping with Ti3AlC2. In our study, we designed and synthesized a series of polymer/Ti3AlC2 functional materials with varying phr ratios, which were then preformed into 0.1–0.3 mm sheets. Accurate morphological characterization with high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and Kelvin probe force microscopy revealed a definite and clear influence relationship between different Ti3AlC2 phr ratios, which were subjected to functionalized groups. Furthermore, electrical characterizations such as space charge, surface discharge, and disruptive tests have revealed in-depth interactions between the MAX-phase Ti3AlC2 and polymers at specific proportions, such as 1phr for epoxy and 2.5phr for polyethylene, establish an obvious and definite influence of both the surface and interior structures of the composite materials through functional groups or agglomeration. Our results provide new insights into doping mode synthesis and property-tuning for MAX composites.