Improving the surface insulation of epoxy resin by plasma etching

Epoxy resin (EP) tends to accumulate a large amount of charge on its surface when exposed to a high-voltage DC electric field, which leads to a reduction in its insulative performance and an increase in potential safety risks in power systems. To suppress charge accumulation, improve the flashover voltage of the EP, and reduce the risk of gas insulated switchgear (GIS) / gas insulated transmission line (GIL) failure, we used two plasma-etching methods, i.e., atmospheric-pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) and the atmospheric-pressure plasma jet (APPJ), to modify the surface of the EP. The surface morphology and electrical properties of the modified materials were explored as a function of time. The results show that after DBD treatment, the roughness of the sample increases by 103.9 nm, the conductivity increases by 3.9 × 10^–18 S, and the flashover voltage increases by 14.4%; after APPJ treatment, the roughness of the sample increases by 223.5 nm, the conductivity increases by 3.4 × 10^–17 S, and the flashover voltage increases by 18%. This shows that both plasma-etching methods can improve the insulation properties of materials by improving the surface-charge characteristics. The two methods are compared with each other: the APPJ treatment method is better at improving the surface roughness and electrical properties of materials, and this flexible treatment method has greater potential in industrial applications.