Low-temperature plasma polymerized fluorocarbon coating promotes surface charge dissipation in polystyrene.

ABSTRACT

Polystyrene (PS) is a common insulating material in pulsed power devices, which has excellent and reliable insulation properties. However, the charge accumulation on the insulator surface seriously threatens its surface insulation property. Surface modification has been verified as an effective way for inhibiting surface charge accumulation. In this paper, plasma polymerized fluorocarbon (PPFC) coating was prepared by low-temperature plasma polymerization in the mixture of methyl-methacrylate and dodecafluoroheptyl-methacrylate (DFHMA). Compared with the untreated PS, the surface charge dissipation rate of PPFC coating is increased by more than 6 times. The introduction of DFHMA makes the coating have no obvious ageing effect after the storage, and has good reusability after the surface flashover. This work provides a new method for modification of polymer dielectrics and a novel way for the preparation of high-charge-dissipation polymers in other related fields.