Multilayer ceramic capacitor as a vital core-component for various applications is always in the spotlight. Next-generation electrical and electronic systems elaborate further requirements of multilayer ceramic capacitors in terms of higher energy storage capabilities, better stabilities, environmental-friendly lead-free, etc., where these major obstacles may restrict each other. An effective strategy for energy storage performance global optimization is put up here by constructing local polymorphic polarization configuration integrated with prototype device manufacturing. A large energy density of 20.0 J·cm⁻³ along with a high efficiency of 86.5%, and remarkable high-temperature stability, are achieved in lead-free multilayer ceramic capacitors. The strategy provides a feasible routine from nano, micro to macro regions in manipulating local polarizations, domain-switching barriers and breakdown strength, illustrating its great potential to be generally applicable in the design of high-performance energy storage multilayer ceramic capacitors.

Polypropylene (PP) contains promising application prospects in thermoplastic cables for high voltage direct current (HVDC) power transmission because of its outstanding thermal and dielectric properties. However, the problem of poor toughness and space charge has restricted the application of pure PP in HVDC cables. In this paper, polyolefin elastomer (POE) and nano-silica were blended thoroughly and added into a PP mixture by a melting method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to observe the dispersion of POE and nanoparticles. Thermal properties were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Mechanical properties were evaluated by tensile tests. The elastomeric properties of composites were improved as the dispersed POE could transfer and homogenize external mechanical forces. DC breakdown results showed that the fail strength of composite with 10 phr POE and 1 phr nano-silica was obviously enhanced. The pulsed electro-acoustic (PEA) results showed that the injection and accumulation of space charge was increased by the introduction of POE, while it was restrained by the collective effect caused by nano-silica filling. X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectrograms showed that secondary ordered structures existed in the composites of PP, POE, and nano-silica, and that the ordered structure around the nanoparticles contributed to the enhancement of breakdown strength. The mechanical and dielectric properties were modified synergistically, which made the modified PP a propitious insulation material for HVDC cables.

Metalized film capacitor degradation under ultra-high electric fields is crucial for the reliability of VSC-HVDC systems. In the present study, systematic investigations were performed that metalized film capacitors were aged under the DC electric field ranging from 300 to 400 kV/mm. Results showed that under moderate electric field, the capacitance reduction of sample capacitors presented two stages with different decay rates. With the increase of the electric field, the rapid degradation occurred immediately on the starting of the aging process, suggesting a voltage threshold determining the capacitors’ stability. In addition, the degradation mechanisms of both metalized films and bi-axial oriented polypropylene (BOPP) base films were investigated by statistical analysis and structural experiments. Below the voltage threshold, more shallow traps were generated and the activation energy of molecular motions was reduced due to PP molecules scissions, resulting in the decrease of breakdown strength (BDS) of BOPP films. While above the voltage threshold, the accelerated failure could be attributed to two main causes: the fast breakdown of originally formed weak points and the dramatically increased self-healing area. The study can contribute to the design and evaluation of DC-link capacitors both experimentally and theoretically.

Piezoelectric ceramics is a functional material that can convert mechanical energy into electrical energy and vice versa. It can find wide applications ranging from our daily life to high-end techniques and dominates a billion-dollar market. For half a century, the working horse of the field has been the polycrystalline PbZr_1−xTi_xO₃ (PZT), which is now globally resisted for containing the toxic element lead. In 2009, our group discovered a non-Pb piezoelectric material, (BaCa)(ZrTi)O₃ ceramics (BZT-BCT), which exhibits an ultrahigh piezoelectric coefficient d₃₃ of 560–620 pC/N. This result brought extensive interest in the research field and important consequences for the piezoelectric industry that has relied on PZT. In the present paper, we review the recent progress, both experimental and theoretical, in the BZT-BCT ceramics.