Poly(lactic acid)-based polymer composites with high electric and thermal conductivity and their characterization

Electrically and thermally conductive polymer composites on the basis of biodegradable poly(lactic acid) (PLA) were developed and studied in this work. Pristine single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and powder of natural graphite (G) were used as fillers in polymer composites. PLA-based composites were prepared by melt-compounding method. The volume resistivity of PLA/CNT composites can be changed by more than ten orders of magnitude compared to that for neat PLA. The thermal conductivity of PLA/G composites can be changed from 0.193 W⋅m⁻¹⋅K⁻¹ (neat PLA) up to 2.73 W⋅m⁻¹⋅K⁻¹. Loading small quantity of CNTs into PLA/G composites increases the thermal conductivity not less than by 40% of magnitude. Besides, all developed PLA-based composites are suitable for processing by injection molding, extrusion or additive manufacturing technology (3D printing).     

Structure and ion transport in an ethylene carbonate-modified biodegradable gel polymer electrolyte

The influence of ethylene carbonate (EC) addition on 85poly(ε-caprolactone):15Lithium thiocyanate (85PCL:15LiSCN) polymer electrolyte is investigated using X-ray diffraction, impedance spectroscopy, Wagner's polarization and electrochemical measurements. The results reveal that the amorphicity of the 85PCL:15LiSCN system increases with increase of EC content up to an optimal level of 40 wt.%. This is reflected in the electrical properties of the gel polymer electrolytes, i.e., the 40 wt.% EC-incorporated gel polymer electrolyte exhibits both high amorphicity and high electrical conductivity as compared to the other samples. The EC concentration dependences of dielectric constant and electrical conductivity show a similar trend, indicating that these properties are closely related to each other. The total ionic transference numbers of EC-incorporated gel polymer electrolytes are in the range 0.989–0.993, demonstrating that they are almost completely ionic conductors. The electrochemical stability window of the 40 wt.% EC-incorporated gel polymer electrolyte is ∼4.1 V along with the electrical conductivity of 2.2 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹, which is significantly improved as compared to the 85PCL:15LiSCN system (3.0 V and 1.04 × 10⁻⁶ S cm⁻¹). Consequently, the addition of EC in the 85PCL:15LiSCN polymer electrolyte leads to a promising improvement in its various properties.     

Structural,thermal, optical and conductivity studies of Co/ZnO nanoparticles doped CMC polymer for solid state battery applications

In this study, a simple chemical precipitation method was used to synthesize ZnO: Co²⁺ as nanoparticles. The solution casting technique was used for the preparation of polymer films of Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) doped with different contents (0.5, 1.5, 3, and 5 wt%) of ZnO/Co NPs. As shown by the X-ray diffraction, the average size of ZnO/Co crystallite of the NPs is 25.6 nm. Meanwhile, the addition of ZnO/Co reduced the semi-crystallinity of CMC. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) confirmed the interaction between the ZnO/Co NPs and the polymer CMC. The direct and indirect band gap (Eg) was reduced from (5.32–5.01 eV and 5.20 to 4.99 eV respectively) with the increase in ZnO/Co NPs content up to 3 wt% after this content the Eg is increased as shown by the UV–Vis spectra. In addition, the results of TGA displayed the decomposition of the nanocomposite to be little compared to that of the pure CMC indicating the success of fabrication of products. The improvement of the ionic conductivity was noticed upon the addition of ZnO/Co NPs into the polymer CMC system which can be explained in terms of an increase in amorphicity as shown by the impedance spectroscopic study. It was found that the optimum ionic conductivity (3.209 × 10⁻⁶ Scm⁻¹) at ambient temperature was higher for the sample containing 1.5 wt% ZnO/Co NPs with highest of amorphicity and the lowest total loss of weight. Therefore, the improvements in optical properties, thermal stability, and AC conductivity which were observed represent a strong support for the use of the nanocomposite films in the solid state battery applications.     

To Study the Effect of Nanoparticle TiO2 on Sodium (Na+) – Ion Conducting Solid Polymer Electrolyte System: [80PEO:20NaPF6]

To study the effect of nanofiller particle TiO₂ on sodium (Na⁺) – ion conducting solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) film: [80PEO:20NaPF₆] and nanocomposite polymer electrolyte (NCPE): [80PEO:20NaPF₆] + xTiO₂, where x = 1–9 wt. (%) have been prepared. SPE film composition: [80PEO:20NaPF₆] selects as Ist-phase host and nano-sized (<100 nm) filler materials TiO₂ as IInd-phase dispersoid. Both SPE and NCPE films have been prepared by the hot-press technique. Filler particle-dependent conductivity study reveals the NCPE system: [80PEO:20NaPF₆] + 8TiO₂ as the highest conducting composition with σ_rt − 3.53 × 10⁻⁶ S cm⁻¹, which is approximately one order of magnitude higher than the SPE optimum conducting composition (OCC) (σ_rt) ≈ 7.78 × 10⁻⁷ S cm⁻¹. Ion transport properties for both SPE and NCPE system have been evaluated in terms of ionic conductivity (σ) and total ionic (t_ion)/cationic (t₊) transference numbers using combined AC/DC techniques in order to evaluate its usefulness in all-solid-state battery applications. Structural/thermal properties have been characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques. A cyclic voltammetry (CV) study has been performed in SPE and NCPE OCC film to evaluate the electrochemical performance for battery application.     

Assessment of corrosion protection and performance of bio-based polyurethane acrylate incorporated with nano zinc oxide coating

In this study, a series of UV-curable anticorrosive PUA coatings embedded with varying concentrations of inorganic ZnO fillers have been successfully prepared from jatropha-based polyol. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and Tafel polarisation analysis revealed that increasing fillers composition lead to the improvement of the anticorrosive property of the hybrid coatings. Meanwhile, the salt spray test results were found to correlate with the EIS of C_c (F cm⁻²) was 2.71 × 10⁻⁹, Bode plot - 10⁶ Ω cm² and Tafel polarisation results 7.56 × 10⁻⁶ MPY at 3 wt% of ZnO. Physical properties of 3 wt% loading of ZnO fillers in hardness test obtained 6H which was strongly attributed to the low interfacial interaction and poor dispersion of the fillers within the polymer matrix.     

Seeded growth core-shell (Ag–Au–Pd) ternary nanostructure at room temperature for potential water treatment

Seed-mediated growth is a promising technique for preparation of multi-metallic nanostructures, in which reduction of metal ions takes a place over the surface of another one. Herein, a seed growth mechanism was investigated for synthesis of core-shell Ag–Au–Pd ternary nanostructures through a facile method at room temperature. Ascorbic acid and sodium alginate were used as nano-generator and stabilizing agent, respectively. Spherical shaped monocular Ag nanostructure with size of 13.6 nm grew to 24.4 nm of Ag–Au binary and to 58.8 nm of Ag–Au–Pd ternary core-shell nanostructures. The crystalline shape of nanostructures was approved by X-Ray diffraction analyses. While, FT-IR data approved the redox mechanism for synthesis the as-required nanostructures. The catalytic reactivity of the prepared nanostructures in reductive degradation of methylene blue dye was studied. The results approved the role of Pd in perfection of catalytic degradation of the as-tested dye. The rate constant of dye degradation was considerably enlarged from 62.1 × 10⁻³ m⁻¹ for Ag monocular nanostructures to 403.3 × 10⁻³ m⁻¹ for Ag–Pd binary and to 852.4 × 10⁻³ m⁻¹ for Ag–Au–Pd ternary core-shell nanostructures. The obtained results offer an energy saving method to fabricate core-shell catalytically active ternary nanostructures with promising applicability in water treatment.     

Effect of 120 MeV Au9+ ion irradiation on the structure and surface morphology of ZnO/NiO heterojunction

ZnO/NiO thin films, each of thickness 100 nm, were deposited on Si(100) substrate by pulsed laser deposition method. The resulting heterojunction, ZnO/NiO/Si, was irradiated by 120 MeV Au⁹⁺ ions and characterized by grazing incidence X‐ray diffraction (GIXRD), Raman spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The GIXRD confirmed the presence of both NiO and ZnO in the samples. Ion irradiation induced suppression of crystalline nature, and the recrystallization of the same occurred at the fluence of 1 × 10¹³ ions cm⁻². The occurrence of most intense band at 302 cm⁻¹ in Raman spectra corresponds to the symmetric stretching vibration of ZnO. The linear shift of stretching mode of ZnO with ion fluence could be associated with the effect of compressive stress in the material. AFM analysis of the films indicated that the rms roughness increased when the film is irradiated at a fluence of 1 × 10¹² ions cm⁻². Beyond this fluence, the value of roughness decreased up to fluence of 1 × 10¹³ ions cm⁻² and increased thereafter. To see the effect of the stress of buffer layer on the surface layer, we calculated the stress for NiO layer with ion fluence form the lattice parameter. Comparing the stress of buffer layer with roughness of surface layer at the given fluence, we can say that the compressive stress in the buffer layer could possibly control the roughness of the surface layer.     

Low temperature splinting activity and catalytic behavior of nano Ag doped sulphamicacid bridged diblock copolymer

A novel silver nanoparticle doped diblock copolymer was synthesized by a 3‐step process via bulk polymerization process under nitrogen atmosphere. The above prepared polymer is characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, fluorescence emission spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD), HRTEM, and FESEM. The sulphamicacid end capped poly(ε‐caprolactone) (P1) system exhibited higher tensile strength than the sulphamicacid bridged diblock copolymer (P2) and nano Ag doped sulphamicacid bridged diblock copolymer (P3) systems. The splinting activity of the diblock copolymers was tested and confirmed the low temperature splinting activity of the diblock copolymer. The Ag nanoparticle catalyzed catalytic reduction of p‐nitrophenol (NiP) was tested, and the apparent rate constant (k_app) was determined as 7.36 × 10⁻³ sec⁻¹. The thermal studies were carried out by DSC and TGA methods. The TGA study declared that the P1 system has higher degradation temperature than the P2 and P3 systems. The P1 system has higher melting temperature (T_m) (75.5°C) than the P2 and P3 systems. The CD study indicated that the conformation of sulphamicacid was not changed even after the formation of nano Ag doped sulphamicacid bridged diblock copolymer.     

A Novel Electrochemical Sensor Based on Modified Carbon Paste Electrode with ZnO Nanorods for the Voltammetric Determination of Indole-3-acetic Acid in Plant Seed Extracts

Detection of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), as a phytohormone, is important for precision farming, plant phenotyping, and crop management. Herein, IAA was detected in bean and wheat plant seeds extractions using zinc oxide nanorods/carbon paste electrode (ZnO NRs/CPE). ZnO NRs/CPE showed excellent electrocatalytic activity, high sensitivity, and selectivity toward the oxidation of IAA. The linearity range was from 30.×10⁻⁸ to 5.0×10⁻⁶ M (r²=0.996, n=10), with a detection limit of 1.7×10⁻⁸ M. Moreover, ZnO NRs/CPE exhibited high reproducibility, with a standard deviation of 1.0 % for six successive measurements of IAA.     

Crystallization behavior of poly(lactic acid) with a self-assembly aryl amide nucleating agent probed by real-time infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction

The effect of a self-assembly nucleating agent, N,N′,N″-tricyclohexyl-1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylamide (BTCA), on the crystallization behavior of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) was probed by time-resolved Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). The vibrational changes associated with inter- and intra-chain interactions during crystallization were monitored. In the initial period of crystallization, the order of intensity changes is as follows: 1458 cm⁻¹ > 1210 cm⁻¹ » 921 cm⁻¹, 1458 cm⁻¹ ∼ 1210 cm⁻¹ > 921 cm⁻¹, and 1458 cm⁻¹ ∼ 1210 cm⁻¹ ∼ 921 cm⁻¹ for neat PLA, PLAs containing 0.1 wt% and 0.3 wt% BTCA, respectively. This indicates that BTCA can accelerate both the formation of skeletal conformational-ordered structure and, especially, the 10₃ helix one. The incorporation of BTCA changes the crystallization mechanism but has no impact on the crystal form of PLA.     

Polysulfone — sulfonated poly(ether ether) ketone blend membranes: systematic synthesis and characterisation

The effect of sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) in membrane formation and separation properties has been investigated in polysulfone(PSU)/SPEEK/N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) systems. Charged ultrafiltration/nanofiltration membranes were obtained reliably in the range of 0.5–5 wt.% SPEEK in the polymer blend. All PSU/SPEEK blend membranes had substantially higher water flux, salt rejection, porosity and greatly reduced particle adhesion compared to the PSU base membrane. Further, all of these properties varied systematically with variation of SPEEK content. Reproducibility and stability of the membrane properties was excellent. Pore sizes determined from dextran retention data and AFM measurements showed reasonable agreement. Membranes with 5 wt.% SPEEK demonstrated excellent overall properties. Such membranes had very high permeability, 22.6±1.6×10⁻¹¹ m³ s⁻¹ N⁻¹, 0.999 fractional rejection of 4000 Da dextran, 0.65 rejection of 0.001 M NaCl, and only 0.75 mN m⁻¹ adhesion of a 4 μm silica particle. Such membranes are very promising for scale-up of production and testing on real process streams.     

Toughening Brittle Bio-P3HB with Synthetic P3HB of Engineered Stereomicrostructures

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P3HB), a biologically produced, biodegradable natural polyester, exhibits excellent thermal and barrier properties but suffers from mechanical brittleness, largely limiting its applications. Here we report a mono-material product design strategy to toughen stereoperfect, brittle bio or synthetic P3HB by blending it with stereomicrostructurally engineered P3HB. Through tacticity ([mm] from 0 to 100 %) and molecular weight (M_n to 788 kDa) tuning, high-performance synthetic P3HB materials with tensile strength to ≈30 MPa, fracture strain to ≈800 %, and toughness to 126 MJ m⁻³ (>110× tougher than bio-P3HB) have been produced. Physical blending of the brittle P3HB with such P3HB in 10 to 90 wt % dramatically enhances its ductility from ≈5 % to 95–450 % and optical clarity from 19 % to 85 % visible light transmittance while maintaining desirably high elastic modulus (>1 GPa), tensile strength (>35 MPa), and melting temperature (160–170 °C). This P3HB-toughening-P3HB methodology departs from the traditional approach of incorporating chemically distinct components to toughen P3HB, which hinders chemical or mechanical recycling, highlighting the potential of the mono-material product design solely based on biodegradable P3HB to deliver P3HB materials with diverse performance properties.     

Development of multifunctional polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)‐epoxy‐zinc oxide nanocomposite coatings for marine applications

Multifunctional epoxy‐polydimethylsiloxane nanocomposite coatings with antifouling and anticorrosion characteristics have been developed via in situ polymerization method at different loading (1, 3, and 6.5 wt.%) of ZnO nanoparticles to cater marine applications. A detailed comparative analysis has been carried out between epoxy‐polydimethylsiloxane control (EPC) and ZnO‐reinforced coatings to determine the influence of ZnO loading on various properties. The incorporation of ZnO in EPC led to increase in root mean square (RMS) roughness to 126.75 nm and improved hydrophobicity showing maximum contact angle of 123.5° with low surface energy of 19.75 mN/m of nanocomposite coating as compared with control coating. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) result indicated improved glass transition temperature of nanocomposite coatings with highest T_g obtained at 83.69°C in case of 1 wt.% loading of ZnO. The increase in hydrophobicity of the system was accompanied by upgraded anticorrosion performance exhibiting 98.8% corrosion inhibition efficiency (CIE) as compared with control coating and lower corrosion rate of 0.12 × 10^?3 mm/year. The Taber abrasion resistance and pull‐off adhesion strength results indicated an increment of 34.7% and 150.7%, respectively, in case of nanocomposite coating as compared with the control coating. The hardness of nanocomposite coatings was also improved, and maximum hardness was found to be 65.75 MPa for nanocomposite coating with 1 wt.% of ZnO. Our study showed that the nanocomposite coating was efficient in inhibiting accumulation of marine bacteria and preventing biofouling for more than 8 months. The developed environment‐friendly and efficient nanocomposite material has a promising future as a high‐performance anticorrosive and antifouling coating for marine applications.     

Effect of EMIMBF4 ionic liquid addition on the structure and ionic conductivity of LiBF4-complexed PVdF-HFP polymer electrolyte films

New polymer electrolyte films of lithium tetrafluoroborate (LiBF₄)-complexed poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVdF-HFP) embedded with different quantities of 1-ethyl-3methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (EMIMBF₄) ionic liquid were prepared by solution casting. The prepared films were characterized using various techniques: X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, impedance spectroscopy and electrochemical measurements. The pure PVdF-HFP possessed a semi-crystalline structure and its amorphicity increased with the addition of LiBF₄ salt and EMIMBF₄ ionic liquid. The size and interconnection of pores in the films were enhanced by EMIMBF₄. Impedance measurements indicated that the room-temperature ionic conductivity of the films increased with increasing EMIMBF₄ concentration until 15 wt.%, being up to 0.202 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹, and then decreased with further increasing EMIMBF₄ concentration. In addition, the temperature-dependent ionic conductivity of the polymer electrolyte films followed an Arrhenius relation and the 15 wt.% EMIMBF₄-incorporated gel polymer electrolyte film exhibited a low activation energy for ionic conduction, being about 0.28 eV. Finally, the electrochemical stability window of the 85PVdF-HFP:15LiBF₄+15 EMIMBF₄ gel polymer electrolyte films was evaluated as approximately 4.4 V, which is a promising value for ion battery applications.     

An inorganic-organic hybrid material from the co-intercalation of a cationic surfactant and thiourea within montmorillonite layers: application to the sensitive stripping voltammetric detection of Pb2+ and Cd2+ ions

A smectite-based inorganic-organic hybrid material was prepared by a one-step intercalation of cetyltrimethylammonium ions and thiourea within the interlayer space of montmorillonite (MT). The surface and textural properties of the resulting material were examined using several techniques (X-ray diffraction, elementary analysis and N₂ adsorption-desorption experiments (BET method)) that demonstrated the presence of both modifiers in the clay mineral structure. The presence of thiourea molecules in the modified MT greatly improved its ability towards the fixation of Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ ions when the organoclay material was used for sensing purposes as a glassy carbon electrode modifier. The electro-analytical procedure was based on the chemical accumulation of both analytes under open-circuit conditions, followed by the detection of the preconcentrated species using square wave voltammetry. Upon optimization of different parameters likely to influence the electrode response, linear calibration graphs were obtained in the concentration ranges from 0.1 to 1 μM and 0.01 to 0.1 μM for Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺, respectively, leading to low limits of detection (4.2 × 10⁻¹⁰ M for Pb²⁺and 1.2 × 10⁻⁹ M for Cd²⁺).     

High frequency circular translation pin-on-disc wear testing of UHMWPE using a ball-on-flat contact along a hypotrochoidal track

To intensify experimental research within the field of orthopaedic tribology, a three-station, dual motion, high frequency (25.3 Hz) circular translation pin-on-disc wear test device was recently introduced. In the present study, the pins were CoCr with a spherical, polished bearing surface of 28 mm radius, whereas the flat discs were conventional UHMWPE. This configuration was intended to simulate the wear mechanisms of total knee prostheses. The number of wear cycles run was as high as 200 million. The mean wear rate was 0.35 mg per one million cycles (0.77 mg/24 h) which corresponded to a mean wear factor of 3.5 × 10⁻⁶ mm³/Nm. The study provided further proof that a wear test for orthopaedic implant materials can be accelerated by substantially increasing the cycle frequency, provided that the sliding velocity remains close to the values obtained from biomechanical studies. Hence, the moderate frictional heating will not lead to unrealistic wear mechanisms.     

Metalo Hydrogen-Bonded Organic Frameworks (MHOFs) as New Class of Crystalline Materials for Protonic Conduction

Recently, proton conduction has been a thread of high potential owing to its wide applications in fuel-cell technology. In the search for a new class of crystalline materials for protonic conductors, three metalo hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (MHOFs) based on [Ni(Imdz)₆]²⁺ and arene disulfonates (MHOF1 and MHOF2) or dicarboxylate (MHOF3) have been reported (Imdz=imidazole). The presence of an ionic backbone with charge-assisted H-bonds, coupled with amphiprotic imidazoles made these MHOFs protonic conductors, exhibiting conduction values of 0.75×10⁻³, 3.5×10⁻⁴ and 0.97×10⁻³ S cm⁻¹, respectively, at 80 °C and 98 % relative humidity, which are comparable to other crystalline metal-organic framework, coordination polymer, polyoxometalate, covalent organic framework, and hydrogen-bonded organic framework materials. This report initiates the usage of MHOF materials as a new class of solid-state proton conductors.     

A highly stretchable and self-healing hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene elastomer

The damage such as microcracks limits the application of hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) elastomer. Here, hydroxy-carboxy-terminated polybutadiene (HCTPB) and Fe³⁺ selected to facilitate ionic bonds (COO⁻⋯Fe³⁺) formation is proposed as a strategy to alleviate the intrinsic self-healing problem for HTPB elastomer. In typical HTPB polyurethane elastomer, the elongation at break is 997.3% while the tensile strength is 1.83 MPa, the damage cannot repair by intrinsic covalent or non-covalent, resulting in permanent damage. In contrast, HCTPB is able to offer COO⁻, entailing a COO⁻⋯Fe³⁺ ionic bonds. Incorporated 6 wt% HCTPB and Fe³⁺ into the HTPB elastomer elevates the tensile strength to 5.2 MPa, reducing the elongation at break in 877.8%. HCTPB and Fe³⁺ enhance the self-repair rate reaches up to 92% after repairing at 80 °C for 10 h after cutting for HTPB elastomer. This strategy has immediate implications for using COO⁻⋯Fe³⁺ ionic bonds to improve the performance of HTPB polyurethane elastomer devices.     

Fluorescence sensor using a molecularly imprinted polymer as a recognition receptor for the detection of aluminium ions in aqueous media

This paper describes the investigation of a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) as a sensing receptor for Al³⁺ ion detection by using an optical approach. Al³⁺ ion was adopted as the template molecule and 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfonic acid ligand as the fluorescence tag. The polymer was synthesised using acrylamide as monomer, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate as co-monomer and ethylene glycol dimethracylate as cross-linker. The free radical polymerisation was performed in methanol and initiated by 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile at 70 °C. The imprinted polymer was fluorometrically characterised using a fibre optic attachment in a self-designed flow-cell. NaF was used to leach the Al³⁺ ion from the MIP. The optimum pH for the rebinding of Al³⁺ ion with the leached polymer was found to be pH 5 and the fluorescence response was found to be stable within the buffer strength range of 0.05–0.10 M. The fluorescence intensity during Al³⁺ ion rebinding was inversely dependent on temperature, and a low interference response (<3%) toward metal ions except for Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺ ions was observed. The polymer rebinding repeatability study conducted over 9 cycles with Al³⁺ ion (0.8×10⁻⁴ M) was found to give an RSD value of 2.82% with a standard deviation of 0.53. The dynamic range of the system was found to be linear up to 1.0×10⁻⁴ M Al³⁺ ion with a limit of detection of 3.62 μM.     

High-temperature creep resistant ternary blends based on polyethylene and polypropylene for thermoplastic power cable insulation

The impact of a small amount of polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene-co-butylene)-b-polystyrene (SEBS) on the thermomechanical and electrical properties of blends comprising low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and isotactic polypropylene (PP) is investigated. SEBS is found to assemble at the PP:LDPE interface as well as within isolated PP domains. The addition of 10 wt% SEBS significantly increases the storage modulus between the melting temperatures of the two polyolefins, 110 and 160°C, and results in improved resistance to creep during both tensile deformation as well as compression. Furthermore, the ternary blends display a very low direct-current (DC) conductivity as low as 3.4 × 10⁻¹⁵ S m⁻¹ at 70°C and 30 kV mm⁻¹, which is considerably lower than values measured for neat LDPE. The here presented type of ternary blend shows potential as an insulation material for high-voltage direct current power cables.