NRL-developed poly(carborane-siloxane-acetylenes) (PCSA) and poly(carborane-siloxane-arylacetylenes) (m-PCSAA and p-PCSAA) are two classes of high performance thermosetting functional polymers intended for use in advanced applications under extreme environmental conditions. While the anticipated temperature range of such applications is between 400C and 700C, results from previous thermo-oxidative stability analyses of these polymers up to 1000C are encouraging as they retain 80% of initial weight upon rapid exposure to such temperatures in both inert and oxidative environments. While such stabilities are quite remarkable, particularly, the oxidative stabilites are impressive and are believed to be the result of a dominantly operational diffusion limited oxidation (DLO) condition. Since previous oxidation studies up to 500C have established the initial generation of B2O3 and SiO2 on the evolving thermosetted matrices, in this talk, we will examine the surface science of such polymers under inert and oxidative conditions up to 750C by both experiment and theory and provide fundamental insight into the DLO effect in these polymers at that temperature regime.

Diffusion limited oxidation (DLO) in PCSA and PCSAA

256th National Meeting (2018)

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