Crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) is a polymer widely used in the insulation of conductors of medium and high voltage cables.It can be used in the insulation of underground distribution systems and transmission cables.However,due to continuous loading,thermal stress,electrical stress and mechanical stress,the chemical composition and morphology of crosslinked polyethylene can change,resulting in failure.In this study,nano silica was introduced into XLPE matrix to improve the insulation performance of XLPE.The effects of silica nano fillers on the partial discharge strength and dielectric breakdown strength of XLPE were studied by adding different amounts of silica nano fillers into the XLPE matrix.The results showed that the XLPE nanocomposites with silica nano-filler had the lowest maximum partial discharge compared with other composites.The dielectric breakdown strength of crosslinked polyethylene was significantly increased when the dispersion mass fraction of silica nano filler was 1%.However,when the nano-filler mass fractio increased to 3% and 5%,the trend tended to saturation,and the change was not significant.