Internationally renowned enterprises and research institutes dedicate themselves to the efficiency enhancement of electronic and electrotechnical devices by developing and advancing polymer-based materials and components under the aegis of the scientists of the Polymer Competence Center Leoben (PCCL).
Polymers and polymer-based composites have numerous dedicated applications in the fields of electronics and electrical engineering, such as insulation materials for high voltage applications, electronic components, and materials for coatings and adhesives. The K project PolyComp aims at the development of novel “Functional Polymer Composites”, hence the development of novel materials and processing routines for the next generation of transformers, generators, and printed circuit boards. Prominent examples comprise the development and testing/application of insulation composites (based on nano-scaled materials) for high-voltage applications, insulation composites with high thermal conductivity for high-voltage generators, novel adhesives for transformer boards, and novel interfacial/surficial technologies for printed circuit boards.
Meeting the interdisciplinary character of the research, material scientists, chemists, plastics engineers and electrical engineers collaborate in the PolyComp project with the primary aim to translate research findings into marketable products and processes in concerted manner. In addition, the scientists and partners of the consortium will focus on the education of highly-skilled technicians and engineers and their integration into the scientific-technical network of competence on internationally competitive level.
Research within the PolyComp project will focus on:
- Components for high voltage insulation with high thermal conductivity
- Stress gradings based on semiconducting composites of silicon carbide microspheres and epoxy resins
- Advanced resins for electrical engineering applications
- Functional adhesives with high temperature and chemical resistance for ultrahigh voltage applications
- Interfacial adhesion in printed circuit boards
- Smart functionalization of inorganic particles and alternative curing techniques for composites
