Repurposing Poly(3‐hexylthiophene) as a Conductivity‐Reducing Additive for Polyethylene‐Based High‐Voltage Insulation

Poly(3‐hexylthiophene) (P3HT) is found to be a highly effective conductivity‐reducing additive for low‐density polyethylene (LDPE), which introduces a new application area to the field of conjugated polymers. Additives that reduce the direct‐current (DC) electrical conductivity of an insulation material at high electric fields have gained a lot of research interest because they may facilitate the design of more efficient high‐voltage direct‐current power cables. An ultralow concentration of regio‐regular P3HT of 0.0005 wt% is found to reduce the DC conductivity of LDPE threefold, which translates into the highest efficiency reported for any conductivity‐reducing additive to date. The here‐established approach, i.e., the use of a conjugated polymer as a mere additive, may boost demand in absolute terms beyond the quantities needed for thin‐film electronics, which would turn organic semiconductors from a niche product into commodity chemicals.

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