Improved Mechanical and Ablative Properties of PDMS Coatings Incorporating Epoxy as a Suspended Chain

Flexiblethermal protection materials with excellent mechanicaland ablative properties were one of the key components in promotingthe development of a new generation of aircraft. In the present work,a robust, strongly adhesive, and ablation-resistant PDMS coating wasprepared through the covalent connection between PDMS and vinyl-functionalizedepoxy resin (EAP) by hydrosilylation. The EAP synthesized by moleculardesign was uniformly dispersed in the PDMS matrix as an island phase-separationstructure. The tensile strength, elongation at break, and shear strengthof EAP-modified PDMS (EAP@PDMS) were significantly increased by 575%,155%, and 183%, respectively, when compared with pure PDMS. Besides,the linear ablation rate (LAR) of EAP@PDMS was greatly declined, whichwas 80.1% lower than that of pure PDMS, exhibiting excellent ablationresistance. This work opened an avenue toward developing flexiblethermal protection coatings with excellent mechanical and ablativeproperties for aerospace applications.

Automated summary

Flexible thermal protection materials are crucial for the development of new aircraft. A highly adhesive and ablative-resistant PDMS coating was prepared through covalent connection with vinyl-functionalized epoxy resin (EAP). The EAP was uniformly dispersed in the PDMS matrix, significantly improving its mechanical properties and ablative resistance. This work offers potential for developing flexible thermal protection coatings with excellent mechanical and ablative properties for aerospace applications.