Influence of irradiation crosslinking on time dependences of conduction and self‐heating in acetylene carbon black filled high‐density polyethylene composites

The time dependences of electrical conduction and self‐heating in high‐density polyethylene/acetylene carbon black composites crosslinked with electron beam irradiation at three different dosages are studied in relation to voltage and ambient temperature. The characteristic decay current constant (τ_i) and the exponential growth time constant for self‐heating (τ_g) are determined for the samples under voltages (U) above the onset voltage (U_c) of self‐heating. The influence of crosslinking on the current decay dynamics, self‐heating process, and amplitude of the resistance switching under field action are discussed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 4418–4422, 2006