Preventing partial discharge in liquid metal polymer composites under steep voltage pulses

Liquid metal polymer composites (LMPCs) offer viable solutions for deformable electronics, including sensors and actuators. To ensure the longevity of the deformable technologies, partial discharge (PD) must be mitigated as it causes premature material aging and device failure. While studies on the dielectric properties of LMPCs have mainly focused on AC voltage, a large number of deformable applications will inevitably involve power electronics for higher efficiency and power density. Consequently, addressing PD in LMPCs under repetitive steep voltage pulses generated by power electronic switches becomes important. This study employs an electric field cancellation technique using electrets to reduce the PD magnitude and increase the partial discharge inception voltage (PDIV) of LMPCs under steep square voltage waves. We placed either a non-electret or electret thin film on top of LMPC samples and conducted PD experiments in flat and bent test coupon arrangements. The results show that electrets can reduce PD magnitude and increase PDIV in both test arrangements. Furthermore, the study provides deeper insights into the experimental results by conducting the electric field analysis of the LMPC experiments through numerical models.