Influence of SiC/Epoxy Coating on Surface Charging Phenomenon at DC Voltage—Part I: Charge Accumulation

Surface charge accumulation on silicon carbide (SiC)/epoxy coatings with different contents of SiC filler, 3, 5, 7, and 10 wt%, is investigated using flat samples of epoxy substrate. In the experiments, a pair of finger-shaped electrodes was attached to the sample’s surface using direct pressing and conductive adhesive providing two different types of contacts and, respectively, surface charging methods. The electrodes were energized by applying dc voltage for various time intervals and resulted surface charge distributions between the electrodes were measured. It was found that depending on the contact type, charging duration, and filler content, different patterns of homocharge or heterocharge appeared on the material surface. Physical reasons for the observed effects are analyzed based on the calculated electric field distributions in the experimental setup, results of the auxiliary tests on material charging in a limited air volume, and surface trap energy distributions measured by utilizing the isothermal surface potential decay (ISPD) method. Application of SiC/epoxy coating for controlling surface charge accumulation is discussed.