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

Abstract

Polystyrene (PS) is a common insulating material in pulse power devices, which has excellent and reliable insulation properties. However, the charge accumulation on the insulation surface seriously threatens its surface insulation property. Surface modification techniques have been verified as effective ways for inhibiting surface charge accumulation. In this paper, plasma polymerized fluorocarbon coatings (PPFC) were prepared by low temperature plasma polymerization of the mixture of methyl methacrylate and Dodecafluoroheptyl methacrylate (DFHMA). Compared with the untreted 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 aging effect after the storage, and has good reusability after surface flashover test. 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.