Effect of nucleating agents on the electrical properties of cross‐linked polyethylene under tensile stress

Abstract During the operation of high‐voltage cables, external stress and residual stress can affect the aggregated structure of insulating materials and lead to significant deterioration in their electrical performance. To investigate the evolution characteristics of the electrical properties of cross‐linked polyethylene (XLPE) under mechanical stress, this paper explains the relationship between the aggregated structure of XLPE and its electrical properties and proposes a method for improving insulation performance under mechanical stress. The results show that metallocene polyethylene used as a nucleating agent can promote crystallisation through heterogeneous nucleation and increase Young's modulus by non‐uniform nucleation, increasing crystallinity and reducing interplanar spacing, resulting in more complete crystal forms and reduced damage to the aggregated structure during the tensile process. After nucleating agent modification, the XLPE crystallisation becomes more uniform, and interfacial adhesion forces increase. The weakened interface damage process between the amorphous and crystalline regions under tensile stress effectively inhibits the process of molecular chain polarisation turning and reduces trap density. The modified XLPE crystal structure shows a tendency towards densification and enhanced molecular chain interactions, which can reduce the damage to the aggregated structure under tensile stress, while the reduced free volume inside the material and the shortened average free path of carriers can weaken the damage of high‐energy electrons to molecular chains, thereby inhibiting the process of electrical tree degradation. The results show that nucleating agents have great potential for maintaining the stable operation of XLPE cables under mechanical stress.