{"title":"News from Japan: Sumitomo Bakelite Develops a Heat-Dissipating Insulating Sheet with an Industry-Leading Thermal Conductivity","authors":"Yoshimichi Ohki","doi":"10.1109/MEI.2026.11755670","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/MEI.2026.11755670","url":null,"abstract":"In May and June of 2026, many countries in Europe experienced unprecedented heatwaves, with record-high temperatures for these months. Abnormally high temperatures of 35°C to 40°C or higher were reported in many countries, such as Spain, France, Italy, Germany, and the UK. Record-breaking heat was also observed across Asia, with serious disasters, particularly in South Asia, and deaths due to heatstroke were reported. To promote a decarbonized society as a countermeasure against such climate change, efforts to create social systems that significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions are rapidly increasing.","PeriodicalId":444,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine","volume":"42 6","pages":"34-37"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=11755670","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149315282","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Young Professionals: Young Professionals at the International Conference on Dielectrics: Building Connections in Southampton","authors":"Zachary Gibson","doi":"10.1109/MEI.2026.11755664","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/MEI.2026.11755664","url":null,"abstract":"The IEEE Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society (DEIS) Young Professionals (YP) Committee is dedicated to highlighting the experiences, achievements, and professional development of early-career members. In this issue, we review the DEIS YP activities that took place at the latest International Conference on Dielectrics (ICD), held this past June in Southampton, UK.","PeriodicalId":444,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine","volume":"42 6","pages":"41-42"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=11755664","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149316017","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jun Ting Loh;Thomas Linde;Stefan Kornhuber;Maria Kosse
{"title":"Effects of Harmonic Distorted Voltages on the Dielectric Behavior of Polymers: A Review","authors":"Jun Ting Loh;Thomas Linde;Stefan Kornhuber;Maria Kosse","doi":"10.1109/MEI.2026.11755658","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/MEI.2026.11755658","url":null,"abstract":"This review article provides an overview of experimental approaches for dielectric testing under nonsinusoidal voltages and summarizes the major effects of harmonic voltage distortion on insulation materials and systems utilized in medium-voltage applications. The effects of harmonic voltage distortion range from enhanced dielectric losses causing dielectric heating to altered partial discharge behavior and subsequent effects on aging of materials.","PeriodicalId":444,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine","volume":"42 6","pages":"15-25"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149315825","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Stories from China: Microdroplet Interface Chemistry: A Catalyst-Free Route from Plastic Waste to Diacids","authors":"Zepeng Lv","doi":"10.1109/MEI.2026.11755657","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/MEI.2026.11755657","url":null,"abstract":"The rapid growth of plastic production has created an increasingly urgent challenge for environmental sustainability and the circular utilization of polymeric materials. Global plastic production reached approximately 350 million tonnes in 2019, and cumulative plastic waste is projected to exceed 12 billion tonnes by 2050. As for power systems, polymeric materials are usually used as the insulation of the power equipment, such as XLPE (cross-linked polyethylene) as cable insulation and polypropylene as the capacitor insulation. Their excellent chemical stability and durability make them highly resistant to degradation and good for insulation but hard for chemical re-cycling, resulting in plastic waste and environmental pressure. Nowadays, there is a lot of power equipment in China reaching their designed lifetime. The metal parts can be well recycled, but the plastic insulations do not have a proper route to be reused or recycled at this moment. This challenge is particularly relevant to XLPE as cable insulation.","PeriodicalId":444,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine","volume":"42 6","pages":"38-40"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=11755657","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149316010","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Editorial: Technical Committees are the Primary Engines of Technical Coordination, Knowledge Exchange, and Standards Development Within DEIS","authors":"Qiang Liu","doi":"10.1109/MEI.2026.11755669","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/MEI.2026.11755669","url":null,"abstract":"The IEEE Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society (DEIS) continues to thrive under the leadership of the Executive Committee, led by our president, Prof. Akiko Kumada. As the primary engines of technical coordination, knowledge exchange, and standards development within our Society, the technical committees (TC) play a critical role in shaping the future of dielectric materials, electrical insulation systems, and their applications.","PeriodicalId":444,"journal":{"name":"IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine","volume":"42 6","pages":"3-3"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2026-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=11755669","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149315755","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}