Morphology of polyethylene for power cable insulation: effects of antioxidant and crosslinking

It is well known that the physical, mechanical, optical and electrical properties are affected by the sample morphology. The aim of the work was to gain knowledge and basic understanding of the morphology of polyethylene materials used for power cable insulation. A permanganic etching procedure with subsequent TEM microscopy was used to reveal the crystalline structure of the specimens. The effects of antioxidant (Santox R type) and peroxide crosslinking of low density polyethylene (LDPE) and acrylate polymer were investigated in this study.