Self-healing of mechanical damage of polyethylene/microcapsules electrical insulation composite material

Polyethylene (PE) cable has become an important carrier of the modern power grid due to its excellent electrical insulation performance. However, small damages can inevitably occur during the preparation and operation of the materials, which can distort electric field and trigger discharge, seriously threatening power supply safety. The self-healing of insulation materials by doping microcapsules is a new research innovation. In this paper, the self-healing PE/microcapsules insulation composite material was prepared, and the self-healing behavior of mechanical damage was emphatically analyzed by scratch damage test and crack propagation simulation. The results show that the composite material with 1 wt% microcapsule has better insulation strength. Moreover, the composite material can fill the defective structures, restore local electrical properties, and reverse the deterioration process of the material. The properties of PE/microcapsules composite material are mainly related to the characteristics of the microcapsule itself and the interface introduced by the microcapsules. The properties of the repaired product can directly affect the recovery degree of the damaged area. The stress action during damage can smoothly trigger its self-healing behavior. In conclusion, the PE composite material doped with 1 wt% microcapsules can achieve a good self-healing effect on mechanical damage.