Yuri Gagarin State Technical University of Saratov (SSTU) research team has developed a high-k nanocomposite material based on potassium polytitanate. High-k nanocomposites are materials with high dielectric constant properties, widely applicable in industrial production.
SSTU's development is a layered nanomaterial used for synthesising composites with desirable properties, Alexander Gorokhovsky, Doctor of Chemical Sciences, explains. Thanks to its high permittivity, it helps reduce the costs of manufacturing cable products, for instance. Therefore the material may enjoy particular demand in electrical and power engineering.
"We see a potential for the nanocomposite in the production of new-generation high-voltage cable connectors. Their purpose is to prevent breakdowns and lower the negative effect of electric fields at the junction of high-voltage lines. Thermoplastic rubber-based composites, filled with functional material, serve as feedstock for manufacturing high-voltage cable joints. Our solution is cheaper than foreign ones; it also exhibits higher permittivity. By switching to it, we'll be able to reduce the material intensity of production," says Nikolay Gorshkov, head of the research team, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technology of Materials at SSTU.
The Russian Science Foundation is funding the research, widely acclaimed by the industry community after presenting it at the XI Salon of Inventions, Innovations, and Investments held late November in Saratov.
Let us recall that UrFU researchers have updated its Kanatokhod ('Cable Walker' in Russian) robot. The new, improved model will allow preventing accidents caused by ice and wet snow deposition on wires and structures of high-voltage lines. UrFU has been working on this project together with the other members of the Ural Interregional Research and Education Center. Tests of the technology were carried out successfully at the facilities of the Rosseti Ural company in Sverdlovsk Oblast and Perm Krai, UrFU's Press Office informs.
