A novel self-healing power cable insulating material based on host-guest interactionsElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c8ra04882g

The insulating materials used in power cables are susceptible to damage and cracks during installation and operation. To solve this problem, we have prepared a self-healing material PVP/p(HEMA- co -BA), which is synthesized by radical polymerization using HEMA, BA, PVP and a host-guest assembly. The host-guest assembly is constructed through interactions between host and guest molecules (CD-Al 2 O 3 NPs act as the host, and HEMA-Ad acts as the guest). The characterization results of the materials show that there are two kinds of supramolecular interactions, namely, the host-guest interaction and the hydrogen bonding. The material possesses good thermal stability (heat-resisting temperature can reach 200 °C) and good electrical performance. The storage modulus of the material can be increased up to 432 MPa using a cross-linking agent at 20 °C. Furthermore, the material exhibits self-healing property, and it can self-heal several times; its self-healing efficiency is relative to the dosage of the cross-linking agent. The insulating materials used in power cables are susceptible to damage and cracks during installation and operation.