Abstract
THE polyorganosiloxanes or “silicones” are exceptionally stable in high temperature oxidative environments compared with other polymeric fluids. This is particularly-marked with the dimethyl derivatives (−OSi(CH3)2−)n, which show little or no decomposition below 200° C. Above this temperature, viscometric1,2 and spectroscopic studies3,4 have shown that decomposition occurs as a result of oxidative attack at the methyl radicals followed by condensation and cross-linking between the residual polysiloxane units. The reaction is believed to involve a free radical mechanism at these high temperatures4.
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WILLIS, R. Thermal Decomposition of Silicone Fluids at Metal Surfaces. Nature 221, 1134–1135 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1038/2211134a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/2211134a0
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