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Bjurström A, Edin H, Hillborg H, Nilsson F, Olsson RT, Pierre M, Unge M, Hedenqvist MS. A Review of Polyolefin-Insulation Materials in High Voltage Transmission; From Electronic Structures to Final Products. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024:e2401464. [PMID: 38870339 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202401464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2024] [Revised: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
This review focuses on the use of polyolefins in high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) cables and capacitors. A short description of the latest evolution and current use of HVDC cables and capacitors is first provided, followed by the basics of electric insulation and capacitor functions. Methods to determine dielectric properties are described, including charge transport, space charges, resistivity, dielectric loss, and breakdown strength. The semicrystalline structure of polyethylene and isotactic polypropylene is described, and the way it relates to the dielectric properties is discussed. A significant part of the review is devoted to describing the state of art of the modeling and prediction of electric or dielectric properties of polyolefins with consideration of both atomistic and continuum approaches. Furthermore, the effects of the purity of the materials and the presence of nanoparticles are presented, and the review ends with the sustainability aspects of these materials. In summary, the effective use of modeling in combination with experimental work is described as an important route toward understanding and designing the next generations of materials for electrical insulation in high-voltage transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton Bjurström
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, Polymeric Materials Division, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-100 44, Sweden
- NKT HV Cables, Technology Consulting, Västerås, SE-721 78, Sweden
- Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability, Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-100 44, Sweden
| | - Hans Edin
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Division of Electromagnetic Engineering and Fusion Science, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-100 44, Sweden
| | - Henrik Hillborg
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, Polymeric Materials Division, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-100 44, Sweden
- Hitachi Energy Research, Västerås, SE-721 78, Sweden
| | - Fritjof Nilsson
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, Polymeric Materials Division, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-100 44, Sweden
- FSCN Research Centre, Mid Sweden University, Sundsvall, SE-851 70, Sweden
| | - Richard T Olsson
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, Polymeric Materials Division, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-100 44, Sweden
- Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability, Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-100 44, Sweden
| | - Max Pierre
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, Polymeric Materials Division, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-100 44, Sweden
| | - Mikael Unge
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, Polymeric Materials Division, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-100 44, Sweden
- NKT HV Cables, Technology Consulting, Västerås, SE-721 78, Sweden
- Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability, Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-100 44, Sweden
| | - Mikael S Hedenqvist
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, Polymeric Materials Division, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SE-100 44, Sweden
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Unge M, Aspåker H, Nilsson F, Pierre M, Hedenqvist MS. Coarse-Grained Model for Prediction of Hole Mobility in Polyethylene. J Chem Theory Comput 2023; 19:7882-7894. [PMID: 37842881 PMCID: PMC10653082 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.3c00210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Electrical conductivity measurements of polyethylene indicate that the semicrystalline structure and morphology influence the conductivity. To include this effect in atomistic charge transport simulations, models that explicitly or implicitly take morphology into account are required. In the literature, charge transport simulations of amorphous polyethylene have been successfully performed using short oligomers to represent the polymer. However, a more realistic representation of the polymer structure is desired, requiring the development of fast and efficient charge transport algorithms that can handle large molecular systems through coarse-graining. Here, such a model for charge transport simulations in polyethylene is presented. Quantum chemistry calculations were used to define six segmentation rules on how to divide a polymer chain into shorter segments representing localized molecular orbitals. Applying the rules to amorphous systems yields distributions of segments with mode and median segment lengths relatively close to the persistence length of polyethylene. In an initial test, the segments of an amorphous polyethylene were used as hopping sites in kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations, which yielded simulated hole mobilities that were within the experimental range. The activation energy of the simulated system was lower compared to the experimental values reported in the literature. A conclusion may be that the experimental result can only be explained by a model containing chemical defects that generate deep traps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikael Unge
- NKT
HV Cables, Technology Consulting, SE-721 78 Västerås, Sweden
- Department
of Fibre and Polymer Technology, Polymeric Materials Division, School
of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hannes Aspåker
- NKT
HV Cables, Technology Consulting, SE-721 78 Västerås, Sweden
| | - Fritjof Nilsson
- Department
of Fibre and Polymer Technology, Polymeric Materials Division, School
of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
- FSCN
Research Centre, Mid Sweden University, 85170 Sundsvall, Sweden
| | - Max Pierre
- Department
of Fibre and Polymer Technology, Polymeric Materials Division, School
of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mikael S. Hedenqvist
- Department
of Fibre and Polymer Technology, Polymeric Materials Division, School
of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
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Gedde U, Unge M, Nilsson F, Hedenqvist M. Mass and charge transport in polyethylene – Structure, morphology and properties. POLYMER 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2022.125617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Synchrotron X-ray-analyzed inner structure of polyethylene spherulites and atomistic simulation of a trigger of the lamellar twisting phenomenon. Polym J 2022. [DOI: 10.1038/s41428-022-00710-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Singha S, Hedenqvist MS. A Review on Barrier Properties of Poly(Lactic Acid)/Clay Nanocomposites. Polymers (Basel) 2020; 12:E1095. [PMID: 32403371 PMCID: PMC7285356 DOI: 10.3390/polym12051095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is considered to be among the best biopolymer substitutes for the existing petroleum-based polymers in the field of food packaging owing to its renewability, biodegradability, non-toxicity and mechanical properties. However, PLA displays only moderate barrier properties to gases, vapors and organic compounds, which can limit its application as a packaging material. Hence, it becomes essential to understand the mass transport properties of PLA and address the transport challenges. Significant improvements in the barrier properties can be achieved by incorporating two-dimensional clay nanofillers, the planes of which create tortuosity to the diffusing molecules, thereby increasing the effective length of the diffusion path. This article reviews the literature on barrier properties of PLA/clay nanocomposites. The important PLA/clay nanocomposite preparation techniques, such as solution intercalation, melt processing and in situ polymerization, are outlined followed by an extensive account of barrier performance of nanocomposites drawn from the literature. Fundamentals of mass transport phenomena and the factors affecting mass transport are also presented. Furthermore, mathematical models that have been proposed/used to predict the permeability in polymer/clay nanocomposites are reviewed and the extent to which the models are validated in PLA/clay composites is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuvra Singha
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mikael S. Hedenqvist
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
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Karlsson ME, Xu X, Hillborg H, Ström V, Hedenqvist MS, Nilsson F, Olsson RT. Lamellae-controlled electrical properties of polyethylene - morphology, oxidation and effects of antioxidant on the DC conductivity. RSC Adv 2020; 10:4698-4709. [PMID: 35495223 PMCID: PMC9049201 DOI: 10.1039/c9ra09479b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 01/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Destruction of the spherulite structure in low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is shown to result in a more insulating material at low temperatures, while the reverse effect is observed at high temperatures. On average, the change in morphology reduced the conductivity by a factor of 4, but this morphology-related decrease in conductivity was relatively small compared with the conductivity drop of more than 2 decades that was observed after slight oxidation of the LDPE (at 25 °C and 30 kV mm-1). The conductivity of LDPE was measured at different temperatures (25-60 °C) and at different electrical field strengths (3.3-30 kV mm-1) for multiple samples with a total crystalline content of 51 wt%. The transformation from a 5 μm coherent structure of spherulites in the LDPE to an evenly dispersed random lamellar phase (with retained crystallinity) was achieved by extrusion melt processing. The addition of 50 ppm commercial phenolic antioxidant to the LDPE matrix (e.g. for the long-term use of polyethylene in high voltage direct current (HVDC) cables) gave a conductivity ca. 3 times higher than that of the same material without antioxidants at 60 °C (the operating temperature for the cables). For larger amounts of antioxidant up to 1000 ppm, the DC conductivity remained stable at ca. 1 × 10-14 S m-1. Finite element modeling (FEM) simulations were carried out to model the phenomena observed, and the results suggested that the higher conductivity of the spherulite-containing LDPE stems from the displacement and increased presence of polymeric irregularities (formed during crystallization) in the border regions of the spherulite structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattias E Karlsson
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology SE-100 44 Stockholm Sweden +46 8208856 +46 87906000
| | - Xiangdong Xu
- Department of Materials and Manufacturing Technology, Chalmers University of Technology SE-412 96 Gothenburg Sweden
| | | | - Valter Ström
- Material Science and Engineering, School of Industrial Engineering and Management, KTH Royal Institute of Technology SE-100 44 Stockholm Sweden
| | - Mikael S Hedenqvist
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology SE-100 44 Stockholm Sweden +46 8208856 +46 87906000
| | - Fritjof Nilsson
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology SE-100 44 Stockholm Sweden +46 8208856 +46 87906000
| | - Richard T Olsson
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH Royal Institute of Technology SE-100 44 Stockholm Sweden +46 8208856 +46 87906000
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Machatschek R, Schulz B, Lendlein A. Langmuir Monolayers as Tools to Study Biodegradable Polymer Implant Materials. Macromol Rapid Commun 2018; 40:e1800611. [PMID: 30387219 DOI: 10.1002/marc.201800611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2018] [Revised: 09/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Langmuir monolayers provide a fast and elegant route to analyze the degradation behavior of biodegradable polymer materials. In contrast to bulk materials, diffusive transport of reactants and reaction products in the (partially degraded) material can be neglected at the air-water interface, allowing for the study of molecular degradation kinetics in experiments taking less than a day and in some cases just a few minutes, in contrast to experiments with bulk materials that can take years. Several aspects of the biodegradation behavior of polymer materials, such as the interaction with biomolecules and degradation products, are directly observable. Expanding the technique with surface-sensitive instrumental techniques enables evaluating the evolution of the morphology, chemical composition, and the mechanical properties of the degrading material in situ. The potential of the Langmuir monolayer degradation technique as a predictive tool for implant degradation when combined with computational methods is outlined, and related open questions and strategies to overcome these challenges are pointed out.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rainhard Machatschek
- Institute of Biomaterial Science and Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies, Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Kantstraße 55,, 14513, Teltow, Germany
| | - Burkhard Schulz
- Institute of Biomaterial Science and Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies, Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Kantstraße 55,, 14513, Teltow, Germany.,Institute of Chemistry, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24-25,, 14469, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Andreas Lendlein
- Institute of Biomaterial Science and Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies, Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Kantstraße 55,, 14513, Teltow, Germany.,Institute of Chemistry, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24-25,, 14469, Potsdam, Germany
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Moyassari A, Unge M, Hedenqvist MS, Gedde UW, Nilsson F. First-principle simulations of electronic structure in semicrystalline polyethylene. J Chem Phys 2017; 146:204901. [PMID: 28571365 PMCID: PMC5440234 DOI: 10.1063/1.4983650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2016] [Accepted: 05/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
In order to increase our fundamental knowledge about high-voltage cable insulation materials, realistic polyethylene (PE) structures, generated with a novel molecular modeling strategy, have been analyzed using first principle electronic structure simulations. The PE structures were constructed by first generating atomistic PE configurations with an off-lattice Monte Carlo method and then equilibrating the structures at the desired temperature and pressure using molecular dynamics simulations. Semicrystalline, fully crystalline and fully amorphous PE, in some cases including crosslinks and short-chain branches, were analyzed. The modeled PE had a structure in agreement with established experimental data. Linear-scaling density functional theory (LS-DFT) was used to examine the electronic structure (e.g., spatial distribution of molecular orbitals, bandgaps and mobility edges) on all the materials, whereas conventional DFT was used to validate the LS-DFT results on small systems. When hybrid functionals were used, the simulated bandgaps were close to the experimental values. The localization of valence and conduction band states was demonstrated. The localized states in the conduction band were primarily found in the free volume (result of gauche conformations) present in the amorphous regions. For branched and crosslinked structures, the localized electronic states closest to the valence band edge were positioned at branches and crosslinks, respectively. At 0 K, the activation energy for transport was lower for holes than for electrons. However, at room temperature, the effective activation energy was very low (∼0.1 eV) for both holes and electrons, which indicates that the mobility will be relatively high even below the mobility edges and suggests that charge carriers can be hot carriers above the mobility edges in the presence of a high electrical field.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Moyassari
- School of Chemical Science and Engineering, Fibre and Polymer Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - M Unge
- School of Chemical Science and Engineering, Fibre and Polymer Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - M S Hedenqvist
- School of Chemical Science and Engineering, Fibre and Polymer Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - U W Gedde
- School of Chemical Science and Engineering, Fibre and Polymer Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - F Nilsson
- School of Chemical Science and Engineering, Fibre and Polymer Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
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Fang X, Vitrac O. Predicting diffusion coefficients of chemicals in and through packaging materials. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2017; 57:275-312. [PMID: 25831407 DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2013.849654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Most of the physicochemical properties in polymers such as activity and partition coefficients, diffusion coefficients, and their activation with temperature are accessible to direct calculations from first principles. Such predictions are particularly relevant for food packaging as they can be used (1) to demonstrate the compliance or safety of numerous polymer materials and of their constitutive substances (e.g. additives, residues…), when they are used: as containers, coatings, sealants, gaskets, printing inks, etc. (2) or to predict the indirect contamination of food by pollutants (e.g. from recycled polymers, storage ambiance…) (3) or to assess the plasticization of materials in contact by food constituents (e.g. fat matter, aroma…). This review article summarizes the classical and last mechanistic descriptions of diffusion in polymers and discusses the reliability of semi-empirical approaches used for compliance testing both in EU and US. It is concluded that simulation of diffusion in or through polymers is not limited to worst-case assumptions but could also be applied to real cases for risk assessment, designing packaging with low leaching risk or to synthesize plastic additives with low diffusion rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyi Fang
- a AgroParisTech, UMR 1145 Ingénierie Procédés Aliments , Massy , France.,b INRA, UMR 1145 Ingénierie Procédés Aliments , Massy , France
| | - Olivier Vitrac
- a AgroParisTech, UMR 1145 Ingénierie Procédés Aliments , Massy , France.,b INRA, UMR 1145 Ingénierie Procédés Aliments , Massy , France
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Free and constrained amorphous phases in polyethylene: Interpretation of 1H NMR and SAXS data over a broad range of crystallinity. POLYMER 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2014.12.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Brostow W, Deshpande S, Hilbig T, Simoes R. Molecular dynamics computer simulation of scratch resistance testing of polymers: visualization. Polym Bull (Berl) 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s00289-013-0949-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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12
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Nilsson F, Hedenqvist MS, Gedde UW. Small-Molecule Diffusion in Semicrystalline Polymers as Revealed by Experimental and Simulation Studies. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011. [DOI: 10.1002/masy.201000027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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