Reference number : GC-2017-Q3-00345, amendment number : , agreement type : G, recipient legal name : Hore, Dennis (University of Victoria), recipient country : CA, recipient province : nan, recipient city : British Columbia|Colombie-Britannique, recipient postal code : nan, program name english : Collaborative Research and Development Grants - Project, program name french : Subventions de recherche et développement coopérative - projet, program purpose english : Polymer-based materials are promising for use in insulators for electrical power lines as an alternative to_x000D_
current glass or ceramic designs. The plastic structures can offer increased electrical resistance, lower_x000D_
manufacturing and installation cost, and be of lighter weight. However, there is still work to be done in terms_x000D_
of formulating the material so that it can withstand the extreme summer and winter conditions of Canadian_x000D_
climates. A large challenge in this area is chemical resistance to de-icing agents. To date, testing of some_x000D_
materials such as silicone and EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) rubbers has been carried out, and_x000D_
some general findings exist, but it is remains to be understood how the materials respond to weathering under_x000D_
their electrical load. In this proposal, a combination of surface-specific spectroscopy, microscopy, and_x000D_
macroscopic measurements of the hydrophobicity will be carried out. The aim is to identify which materials_x000D_
perform the best under specific sets of chemical and physical conditions, and to be able to provide some_x000D_
molecular-level explanation for any observed degradation in material performance. At the same time, this_x000D_
project provides many opportunities for training the next generation of scientists in advanced chemical_x000D_
structure and materials characterization methods., program purpose french : Polymer-based materials are promising for use in insulators for electrical power lines as an alternative to_x000D_
current glass or ceramic designs. The plastic structures can offer increased electrical resistance, lower_x000D_
manufacturing and installation cost, and be of lighter weight. However, there is still work to be done in terms_x000D_
of formulating the material so that it can withstand the extreme summer and winter conditions of Canadian_x000D_
climates. A large challenge in this area is chemical resistance to de-icing agents. To date, testing of some_x000D_
materials such as silicone and EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) rubbers has been carried out, and_x000D_
some general findings exist, but it is remains to be understood how the materials respond to weathering under_x000D_
their electrical load. In this proposal, a combination of surface-specific spectroscopy, microscopy, and_x000D_
macroscopic measurements of the hydrophobicity will be carried out. The aim is to identify which materials_x000D_
perform the best under specific sets of chemical and physical conditions, and to be able to provide some_x000D_
molecular-level explanation for any observed degradation in material performance. At the same time, this_x000D_
project provides many opportunities for training the next generation of scientists in advanced chemical_x000D_
structure and materials characterization methods., agreement title english : Surface structural characterization of polymer composite insulators for improved weather resistance, agreement title french : Surface structural characterization of polymer composite insulators for improved weather resistance, agreement number : CRDPJ, agreement value : 80000.0, agreement start date : 2017-12-13, agreement end date : nan, description english : nan, description french : nan, expected results english : nan, expected results french : nan, additional information english : Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2019-2020)., additional information french : Subvention ou bourse octroyée s'appliquant à plus d'un exercice financier (2017-2018 à 2019-2020)., owner organization : nserc-crsng, owner organization title : Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada | Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada