{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]],"date-time":"2026-07-17T10:04:31Z","timestamp":1784282671347,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"14","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]],"date-time":"2026-07-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784246400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"State Grid Gansu Electric Power Company","award":["SGGSJQ00JXJS2600453"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SGGSJQ00JXJS2600453"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Polymers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Overheating of polymeric cable materials is a major contributor to insulation aging, electrical failure, and fire risk in power systems, particularly in densely installed urban underground cable corridors where heat dissipation is limited and early-stage defects are difficult to identify. Although gas-detection approaches are promising for non-invasive overheating monitoring, their practical value depends on identifying material- and lay-er-specific volatile products and clarifying how their release evolves with temperature and time. Herein, volatile products released from the PVC outer jacket of a YJV22-8.7\/15 kV-3 \u00d7 185 medium-voltage cable were investigated using headspace gas chromatography\u2013mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Temperature- and time-dependent evolution was estimated for selected marker species, and the associated degradation behavior was correlated with chemical\/structural and electrical changes using ATR-FTIR, KPFM, and dielectric measurements. The number and observed headspace levels of organic components increased substantially with severe overheating, reaching more than 20 dominant components at 200 \u00b0C. 2-Ethylhexanol (2-EH) was observed across the studied range and reached approximately 300 \u00d7 10\u22126 (volume fraction) at 200 \u00b0C for 60 min while remaining at or below approximately 50 \u00d7 10\u22126 at temperatures up to 140 \u00b0C. Benzene was observed mainly at severe overheating, whereas DOTP was first observed at 140 \u00b0C among the tested conditions, reaching approximately 40 \u00d7 10\u22126 at 140 \u00b0C for 5 min and exceeding 300 \u00d7 10\u22126 under more severe conditions. KPFM showed surface roughness increasing from 7.70 to 43.39 nm, and the real permittivity increased by up to 13.9% at 50 Hz. These results provide a temperature- and time-resolved headspace dataset for the tested cable outer jacket and relate its organic-gas profile to surface and dielectric changes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/polym18141749","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]],"date-time":"2026-07-17T09:00:52Z","timestamp":1784278852000},"page":"1749","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Temperature- and Time-Resolved Gas Release Coupled with Degradation of an Overheated Medium-Voltage Cable PVC Outer Jacket"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"given":"Xiaobo","family":"Chen","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Jiuquan Power Supply Company, State Grid Gansu Electric Power Company, Jiuquan 735099, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wenchang","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Jiuquan Power Supply Company, State Grid Gansu Electric Power Company, Jiuquan 735099, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Peng","family":"Ru","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Jiuquan Power Supply Company, State Grid Gansu Electric Power Company, Jiuquan 735099, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jia","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Space Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi\u2019an 710126, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Hall, K.L. (2013). An Updated Study on the Undergrounding of Overhead Power Lines, Edison Electric Institute."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bal, S., and Tamus, Z.A. (2024). A Method for Assessing the Degradation of PVC-Insulated Low-Voltage Distribution Cables Exposed to Short-Term Cyclic Aging. Electronics, 13.","DOI":"10.3390\/electronics13061085"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zhang, P., Huang, X., Su, J., Liu, Z., Pang, X., Wang, Z., and Chen, Y. (2025). Research on Diagnostic Methods for Gas Generation Due to Degradation of Cable PVC Materials Under Electrical and Thermal Stress. Polymers, 17.","DOI":"10.3390\/polym17223021"},{"key":"ref_4","unstructured":"Zheng, Y. (2020). Study on Fire Smoke Movement and Ventilation Optimization in Utility Tunnels. [Ph.D. Thesis, University of Science and Technology of China]."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"306","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhazmat.2017.08.027","article-title":"Fire behavior of halogen-free flame-retardant electrical cables with the cone calorimeter","volume":"342","author":"Meinier","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Hazard. Mater."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"40","DOI":"10.1016\/j.snb.2011.11.053","article-title":"Gas sensor technologies for fire detection","volume":"175","author":"Gutmacher","year":"2012","journal-title":"Sens. Actuators B Chem."},{"key":"ref_7","unstructured":"Sesseng, C. (2016). Mapping of Gas Concentrations, Effect of Dead-Air Space and Effect of Alternative Detection Technology in Smouldering Fires, SP Fire Research AS. SPFR Report A."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"130837","DOI":"10.1016\/j.snb.2021.130837","article-title":"Overheat diagnosis of power cable based on gas sensors: Device\/material exploration","volume":"350","author":"Liu","year":"2022","journal-title":"Sens. Actuators B Chem."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1650","DOI":"10.1021\/acsaelm.5c02339","article-title":"Unintended Processing-Related Volatile Markers for Early-Stage Overheating of PVC-Based Cable Materials","volume":"8","author":"Sugitani","year":"2026","journal-title":"ACS Appl. Electron. Mater."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1887","DOI":"10.1002\/pol.1970.150080724","article-title":"High-temperature pyrolysis of poly(vinyl chloride): Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis of pyrolysis products from PVC resin and plastisols","volume":"8","year":"1970","journal-title":"J. Polym. Sci. Part A-1 Polym. Chem."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"407","DOI":"10.1016\/0040-6031(85)85610-0","article-title":"Investigations of the thermal decomposition of PVC cable material by simultaneous TG-DTG-DTA-MS analysis","volume":"85","author":"Ohrbach","year":"1985","journal-title":"Thermochim. Acta"},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"285","DOI":"10.1080\/00102209408951877","article-title":"Investigation of the kinetics of pyrolysis of PVC by TG-MS-analysis","volume":"101","author":"Knumann","year":"1994","journal-title":"Combust. Sci. Technol."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"167","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jaap.2018.06.005","article-title":"Thermal degradation of flame-retarded high-voltage cable sheath and insulation via TG-FTIR","volume":"134","author":"Wang","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis"},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"346","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fuel.2018.02.074","article-title":"Pyrolysis gases produced from individual and mixed PE, PP, PS, PVC, and PET. Part I: Production and physical properties","volume":"221","author":"Honus","year":"2018","journal-title":"Fuel"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2362","DOI":"10.1016\/j.joei.2020.07.009","article-title":"TG-FTIR and Py-GC\/MS study of the pyrolysis mechanism and composition of volatiles from flash pyrolysis of PVC","volume":"93","author":"Zhou","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. Energy Inst."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"361","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fuel.2018.02.075","article-title":"Pyrolysis gases produced from individual and mixed PE, PP, PS, PVC, and PET\u2014Part II: Fuel characteristics","volume":"221","author":"Honus","year":"2018","journal-title":"Fuel"},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"143","DOI":"10.1016\/j.enconman.2018.12.060","article-title":"TGA\/MS\/FT-IR study for kinetic evaluation and evolved gas analysis of a biomass\/PVC co-pyrolysis process","volume":"182","author":"Ozsin","year":"2019","journal-title":"Energy Convers. Manag."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"621","DOI":"10.1023\/B:JTAN.0000046123.59857.ad","article-title":"Thermal degradation of PVC cable insulation studied by simultaneous TG-FTIR and TG-EGA methods","volume":"78","author":"Milanov","year":"2004","journal-title":"J. Therm. Anal. Calorim."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"862","DOI":"10.1007\/s42452-025-07568-z","article-title":"Study on the effect of environmental humidity on the thermal decomposition characteristics of PVC outer sheath of high-voltage cables","volume":"7","author":"Wu","year":"2025","journal-title":"Discov. Appl. Sci."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Liu, Y., Furuno, S., Akagawa, S., Yatabe, R., Onodera, T., Fujiwara, N., Takeda, H., Uchida, S., and Toko, K. (2021). Odor Recognition of Thermal Decomposition Products of Electric Cables Using Odor Sensing Arrays. Chemosensors, 9.","DOI":"10.3390\/chemosensors9090261"},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"379","DOI":"10.1109\/TDEI.2025.3572332","article-title":"Identification of Thermal Fault States in Cable Insulation Sheaths Based on Gas Sensor Arrays","volume":"33","author":"Meng","year":"2026","journal-title":"IEEE Trans. Dielectr. Electr. Insul."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cao, Z., Zhong, H., Wei, G., Wu, Z., Zhu, J., Yao, Q., and Wang, B. (2026). Early Fire-Warning Strategy for High Voltage Cables Based on Pyrolysis Characteristics of PE Outer Sheath at Different Temperatures. IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation, IEEE.","DOI":"10.1109\/TDEI.2026.3663527"},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"04004","DOI":"10.1051\/matecconf\/201926804004","article-title":"Degradation of PVC insulated cable by small punch test considering molecular weight change","volume":"268","author":"Yasutomo","year":"2019","journal-title":"MATEC Web Conf."},{"key":"ref_24","first-page":"7","article-title":"Effect of various additives on the physical properties of polyvinylchloride resin","volume":"11","author":"Unar","year":"2010","journal-title":"Pak. J. Anal. Environ. Chem."},{"key":"ref_25","unstructured":"Titow, W.V. (2012). PVC Plastics: Properties, Processing, and Applications, Springer Science & Business Media."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"13379","DOI":"10.1039\/c3ta12555f","article-title":"Progress in bio-based plastics and plasticizing modifications","volume":"1","author":"Mekonnen","year":"2013","journal-title":"J. Mater. Chem. A"},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"11","DOI":"10.1002\/pola.27917","article-title":"Petro\u2014Based and bio\u2014Based plasticizers: Chemical structures to plasticizing properties","volume":"54","author":"Bocque","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. Polym. Sci. Part A Polym. Chem."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"300","DOI":"10.1016\/j.wasman.2015.11.041","article-title":"Thermal degradation of PVC: A review","volume":"48","author":"Yu","year":"2016","journal-title":"Waste Manag."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"112","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jaap.2005.04.012","article-title":"The effect of some fillers on PVC degradation","volume":"75","author":"Karayildirim","year":"2006","journal-title":"J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis"},{"key":"ref_30","unstructured":"Wilkes, C.E., Summers, J.W., Daniels, C.A., and Berard, M.T. (2005). PVC Handbook, Hanser."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1948","DOI":"10.1002\/cphc.201600114","article-title":"Employing theories far beyond their limits: The case of the Beer-Lambert law","volume":"17","author":"Mayerhofer","year":"2016","journal-title":"ChemPhysChem"},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"N91","DOI":"10.1088\/0031-9155\/51\/5\/N02","article-title":"The modified Beer-Lambert law revisited","volume":"51","author":"Kocsis","year":"2006","journal-title":"Phys. Med. Biol."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"613","DOI":"10.1007\/BF01135332","article-title":"Crosslinking, scission and benzene formation during PVC degradation under various conditions","volume":"3","author":"Nagy","year":"1980","journal-title":"Polym. Bull."},{"key":"ref_34","first-page":"229","article-title":"Evolution of aromatics in the thermal degradation of poly (vinyl chloride): A mechanistic study","volume":"3","author":"Montaudo","year":"1991","journal-title":"Polym. Degrad. Stab."},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"125994","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fuel.2022.125994","article-title":"Insight into the pyrolysis behavior of polyvinyl chloride using in situ pyrolysis time-of-flight mass spectrometry: Aromatization mechanism and Cl evolution","volume":"331","author":"Yang","year":"2023","journal-title":"Fuel"},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"133638","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chemosphere.2022.133638","article-title":"Empirical correlations for diffusivity and the partition coefficient for phthalates in PVC materials and modelling emissions of automotive sealants","volume":"294","author":"Gilliam","year":"2022","journal-title":"Chemosphere"},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"211","DOI":"10.1016\/j.snb.2006.05.023","article-title":"Gas sensor measurement system capable of sampling volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a wide concentration range","volume":"122","author":"Kim","year":"2007","journal-title":"Sens. Actuators B Chem."},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"99","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jaap.2014.01.005","article-title":"Kinetics of alcoholysis of poly (ethylene terephthalate) in sub- and super-critical isooctyl alcohol to produce dioctyl terephthalate","volume":"106","author":"Ding","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis"},{"key":"ref_39","first-page":"34","article-title":"Study on the behavior of low-voltage cable insulation subjected to thermal cycle treatment","volume":"23","author":"Paun","year":"2023","journal-title":"Sci. Bull. Electr. Eng. Fac."},{"key":"ref_40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Fonollosa, J., Solorzano, A., and Marco, S. (2018). Chemical Sensor Systems and Associated Algorithms for Fire Detection: A Review. Sensors, 18.","DOI":"10.3390\/s18020553"}],"container-title":["Polymers"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2073-4360\/18\/14\/1749\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]],"date-time":"2026-07-17T09:18:50Z","timestamp":1784279930000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2073-4360\/18\/14\/1749"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]]},"references-count":40,"journal-issue":{"issue":"14","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7]]}},"alternative-id":["polym18141749"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/polym18141749","relation":{},"ISSN":["2073-4360"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2073-4360","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]]}}}