Enhanced dielectric and structural properties of HDPE nanocomposites reinforced with HfO, TiO, and TaO nanoparticles under high-voltage gas discharge conditions/ Huseynova A., Rahimli A., Rzayev R., Mammadov S.

Abstract

This study investigates the structural, morphological, and dielectric performance of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) nanocomposites reinforced with HfO₂, TiO₂, and Ta₂O₅ nanoparticles, with special emphasis on their behavior under high-voltage microsecond pulsed gas discharge. SEM and TEM analyses confirm uniform nanoparticle dispersion and surface morphology. FTIR spectroscopy reveals distinct metal-oxygen vibrational bands, assigned as Ti–O (∼533 cm^-1), Hf–O (∼496 cm^-1), and Ta–O (∼644 cm^-1). FTIR results indicate increased crystallinity and the emergence of –OH-related vibrations (3600–4000 cm^-1) induced by discharge. Breakdown measurements show that HDPE/HfO₂ exhibits the highest post-discharge breakdown strength (0.132×10⁹ V/m), outperforming neat HDPE. Dielectric measurements demonstrate enhanced permittivity and reduced loss tangent at high frequencies for all nanocomposites, with HDPE/TiO₂ showing the lowest tan δ after discharge. Overall, metal-oxide-reinforced HDPE nanocomposites show improved electrical stability and structural resilience, offering strong potential for high-voltage insulation applications. © The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105045388952