24-Sep-2021 | Market Research Store
A team of engineers at the Sweden’s Chalmers University of Technology has developed a novel insulation material that is despite three times less conductive but can significantly enhance the performance and characteristics of cables.With the growing access and extensive adoption of renewable energy, efficient transportation of electricity for longer distances is necessary as the wind and solar farms that generate electricity are situated far from cities. High voltage direct current (HVDC) cables are considered most effective to carry power across large distances as these cables coated with an insulation layer can be either spread on the seabed or buried underground, which offers a magnificent opportunity for developing an interconnecting network across several regions in the world.
While transporting electricity to a short distance, a certain amount of energy is exhausted. Increasing the direct current voltage level is one approach to curb transmission losses. Polyethylene, which is being utilized for insulating HVDC cables, serves as a breakthrough for the new material. By incorporating the conjugated polymer, known as poly-3-hexylthiophene (P3HT) in extremely modest amounts into the conducting material of HVDC cables, the engineers were able to alleviate the electrical conductivity up to three times.
Other chemicals that have been employed to cut down the conductivity are various metal oxides in nanoparticle form and other polyolefins. However, the optimum amount required to enhance the insulating properties of the final material is significantly higher. P3HT and other conjugated polymers are being utilized to create flexible printed electronics. This is, however, the first time that they've been used to alter the physical and chemical properties of a common plastic. Through this way, the researchers anticipated that their innovation could be employed in a variety of new applications.
The research will inspire other researchers to work on creating and optimizing plastics with enhanced electrical characteristics for energy storage and transportation-related applications.
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