Liquid-Phase and Gas-Phase Modification of Silica Nanoparticles for Dielectric Nanocomposites
Due to the COVID-19 crisis the PhD defence of Amirhossein Mahtabani takes place (partly) online.
The PhD defence can be followed by a live stream.
Amirhossein Mahtabani is a PhD student in the research group Elastomer Technology and Engineering (ETE). His supervisors are dr. W.K. Dierkes and prof.dr. A. Blume from the Faculty of Engineering Technology (ET).
Moving towards a planetary civilization, i.e. being able to harvest and use all of the energy available on the planet, requires integration of renewable energy resources into the existing grids. To pursue this objective is also to be able to transmit this energy over long distances. Enters High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) technology, and the project GRIDABLE. Cables are one of the irrefutable components of HVDC technology, and the insulation material of these cables plays an undeniable role in determining their performance.
The present thesis is in pursuit of a high-performance, sustainable material for this purpose: A thermoplastic nanocomposite that exhibits reproducible improvements in terms of dielectric properties, while carrying the potential for a sustainable end-of-life. This type of insulating materials are endowed with large interfacial areas as a result of the addition of a few weight percent of a nanoparticle to a polymeric matrix. It is shown in this work that by altering the chemistry of the nanoparticles’ surface, it is possible to tailor the dielectric performance of the resulting nanocomposites, and achieve high voltage insulating materials with superior electrical properties.
