Thermal stability, mechanical, and optical properties of novel RTV silicone rubbers using octa(dimethylethoxysiloxy)-POSS as a cross-linker

Octa(dimethylethoxysiloxy) POSS (ODES) was synthesized successfully and used as the novel curing agent to prepare RTV silicone rubber (SROD) with outstanding mechanical properties and thermal stability. Compared with the silicone rubber cross-linked by tetraethoxysilane (SRTE), the novel RTV silicone rubber using octa(dimethylethoxysiloxy) POSS as a cross-linker had better mechanical, thermal, and optical properties. The highest tensile strength of SROD reached 1.26 MPa, which is three times that of SRTE. Besides, the decomposition temperature of 10% weight loss reached 507.7°C, exceeding that of SRTE by nearly 150°C. In addition, it was remarkable that due to the good compatibility of ODES with the silicone rubber matrix, the series of SROD showed good transmittance, greater than 87%. The thermal decomposition process of SROD was investigated by TGA coupled with real-time FTIR, and the results revealed the rigid structure and large steric hindrance of ODES that efficiently blocked the “backbiting” of the polysiloxy chains and delayed the end-induced ring decomposition, and consequently, improved the thermal stability of SROD significantly.