Self-healing composites for high voltage electrical insulation

A self-healing electrical insulation material for high voltage
apparatuses has yet not been developed. Such a material
would have been very attractive for electrical components
installed in conditions were service failures cause time
consuming and very expensive replacements. This paper
reports results from electrical characterization of a
candidate self-healing high voltage composite. The
composite includes a bisphenol A epoxy resin filled with
microcapsules with a monomer (healing agent).The results
show e.g. that microcapsules rupture when reached by an
electrical tree, likely preventing further tree propagation