On the post-curing thermal treatment of silicone rubbers: a study on electrical performance
On the post-curing thermal treatment of silicone rubbers: a study on electrical performance
Silicone rubbers, particularly poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), are popular across various industrial applications, however notable issues arise from volatile cyclic siloxanes and their tendency to compromise their performance. This study investigates the electrical performance (DC conductivity, dielectric spectroscopy, DC breakdown) of two commercial PDMS products, before and after a post-curing treatment (200◦C, 4h). The tested materials, named PDMS A (RTV) and PDMS B (LSR), are chosen as they display distinct characteristics: they differ in terms of outgassing behavior and structural alterations during treatment. In particular, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) reveal pronounced volatile removal in PDMS B, while Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy demonstrate pronounced structural alterations in PDMS A (crosslinking of unreacted long chains) promoted by post-curing. As expected, the electrical insulation performance is enhanced in both post-cured materials: the magnitude of this depends on the extent of two abovementioned aspects. The DC conductivity reduction follows the volatiles removal pattern (larger scale in PDMS B), while the ε’ and ε’’ values reduce following the structural alteration pattern (elimination of a relaxation peak in PDMS A). The DC breakdown strength enhancements are driven by structural variations rather than removal of volatiles.
dielectric properties, elastomers, rubber
Vryonis, O.
4affde05-88f2-436f-b036-dceedf31ea9c
Andritsch, T.
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Vaughan, A.S.
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Morshuis, P.
af303056-cf5a-4e71-8a85-4aacf69c9bb2
Claverie, A.
d3934642-fadf-444a-ba40-433357c7d63b
10 September 2025
Vryonis, O.
4affde05-88f2-436f-b036-dceedf31ea9c
Andritsch, T.
8681e640-e584-424e-a1f1-0d8b713de01c
Vaughan, A.S.
6d813b66-17f9-4864-9763-25a6d659d8a3
Morshuis, P.
af303056-cf5a-4e71-8a85-4aacf69c9bb2
Claverie, A.
d3934642-fadf-444a-ba40-433357c7d63b
Vryonis, O., Andritsch, T., Vaughan, A.S., Morshuis, P. and Claverie, A.
(2025)
On the post-curing thermal treatment of silicone rubbers: a study on electrical performance.
Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 142 (34), [e57358].
(doi:10.1002/app.57358).
Abstract
Silicone rubbers, particularly poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), are popular across various industrial applications, however notable issues arise from volatile cyclic siloxanes and their tendency to compromise their performance. This study investigates the electrical performance (DC conductivity, dielectric spectroscopy, DC breakdown) of two commercial PDMS products, before and after a post-curing treatment (200◦C, 4h). The tested materials, named PDMS A (RTV) and PDMS B (LSR), are chosen as they display distinct characteristics: they differ in terms of outgassing behavior and structural alterations during treatment. In particular, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) reveal pronounced volatile removal in PDMS B, while Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy demonstrate pronounced structural alterations in PDMS A (crosslinking of unreacted long chains) promoted by post-curing. As expected, the electrical insulation performance is enhanced in both post-cured materials: the magnitude of this depends on the extent of two abovementioned aspects. The DC conductivity reduction follows the volatiles removal pattern (larger scale in PDMS B), while the ε’ and ε’’ values reduce following the structural alteration pattern (elimination of a relaxation peak in PDMS A). The DC breakdown strength enhancements are driven by structural variations rather than removal of volatiles.
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J of Applied Polymer Sci - 2025 - Vryonis - On the Post‐Curing Thermal Treatment of Silicone Rubbers A Study on Electrical
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Accepted/In Press date: 11 May 2025
e-pub ahead of print date: 22 May 2025
Published date: 10 September 2025
Keywords:
dielectric properties, elastomers, rubber
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 502595
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/502595
ISSN: 0021-8995
PURE UUID: f09fb359-ac63-40a7-992a-732708b099e8
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Date deposited: 01 Jul 2025 16:55
Last modified: 11 Sep 2025 02:47
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Author:
O. Vryonis
Author:
T. Andritsch
Author:
A.S. Vaughan
Author:
P. Morshuis
Author:
A. Claverie
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