Full-life-cycle eco-friendly polymeric insulating materials: research progress and future prospects

Abstract Polymeric insulating materials is the basis of electric power system and has been widely employed in various electric power system apparatus. With the emergence of net-zero carbon emission policies by 2050–2060, the eco-friendly polymeric insulation is urgent and promising in the R&D of advanced dielectric materials. This paper reviews the current progress of eco-friendly upgrade in each lifecycle stages of polymeric insulating materials, i.e. raw material, fabricating, operating, and retiring. A series of interesting and fundamental results have been summarized. Drawbacks of the current researches are discussed, and outlooks are provided for the future development of eco-friendly polymeric insulating materials. This paper is hoped to inspire some novel ideas for the development of advanced insulating materials suitable for the promotion of net-zero carbon emission technologies.