Effect of Assistant Crosslinker (TAIC) on Improving Water Tree Resistance of Crosslinked Polyethylene

In order to improve the water tree resistance of crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) and study the influence of crosslinking behavior on the water tree resistance of XLPE, triallyl isocyanurate (TAIC) was used as assistant crosslinker to prepare XLPE samples with different contents. The cross-linking degree, tensile properties and dynamic mechanical properties of samples were tested. XLPE samples with different TAIC contents were accelerated aged using the water blade electrode method. The result shows that the crosslinking degree of XLPE is improved by adding TAIC, and the water tree resistance of XLPE is obviously improved when the content of TAIC is 1.0 wt%. When TAIC is added excessively, the water tree resistance will decrease slightly because of the agglomeration of water.