Highly insulating thermoplastic nanocomposites based on a polyolefin ternary blend for high-voltage direct current power cables.

Octyl-silane-coated AlO nanoparticles are found to be a promising conductivity-reducing additive for thermoplastic ternary blends comprising low-density polyethylene (LDPE), isotactic polypropylene and a styrenic copolymer. The ternary blend nanocomposites were prepared by compounding the blend components together with an LDPE-based masterbatch that contained the nanoparticles. The nanoparticles did not affect the superior stiffness of the ternary blends, compared to neat LDPE, between the melting temperatures of the two polyolefins.