SF₆ is widely used in the industrial field due to its stable structure and excellent properties. It is mainly used in electrical insulation equipment. Due to the boiling point of SF₆, its use in extremely cold regions has been limited. It is harmful to the health of practitioners due to the toxicity of decomposition products. The gas has limited its wider use because of its strong greenhouse effect. As a result, researchers and electrical equipment manufacturing companies around the world are gradually searching for new environmentally friendly gases and have conducted research and exploration on theory and experiment. In this paper, the current status and existing problems of SF₆ are summarized. The research contents and research methods of SF₆ alternative gas direction are reviewed from the aspects of insulation performance, interrupter performance, and decomposition performance. The existing research results of the natural gas, SF₆ mixed gas, perfluorocarbons, and C_nF_mX gas are summarized, and the future development trend of alternative gas for SF₆ in the electrical industry is proposed.

High temperatures caused by partial discharge results in the decomposition of insulating epoxy resins in electrical equipment. In this paper, the ReaxFF force field is used to investigate the decomposition process of epoxy resins cured by anhydride and the formation mechanisms of small-molecule gases. Results show that the initiation reaction is the cleavage of an ester bond linked with an epoxy resin. Produced by the decomposition of ester groups, CO₂ is the first and most abundant product. Meanwhile, CH₂O can be generated through three main ways, although the process still depends on the decomposition of epoxy functional groups. H₂O is produced by free radical collision and dehydration. The production of small-molecule gases has the following sequence: CO₂, CH₂O, CO, and H₂O. The produced gases have the following order according to amount: CO₂, CH₂O, H₂O, and CO.