Exactly alternating silarylene—siloxane polymers: 6. Thermal stability and degradation behaviour

The thermal stability and degradation behaviour of a series of twelve different exactly alternating silarylene—siloxane polymers were investigated by several different methods including thermal gravimetric analysis (t.g.a.) in air and in nitrogen, long term (up to 48 h) high temperature (600° and 900°C) isothermal degradation in nitrogen, and rapid pyrolysis in helium. No weight loss was observed by t.g.a. until about 400°C, and two distinctly different mechanisms were observed, one for degradation in nitrogen (a single step process), and the other in air (a three step process). Under nitrogen, black, insoluble, carbon-hydrogen-silicon containing degradation products were obtained, which were stable in pure oxygen to at least 1100°C. In air, pure SiO₂ was obtained after heating to above 730°C. Isothermal investigations revealed that at temperatures of 600°C and above, weight loss by thermal degradation under a nitrogen atmosphere was completed in less than an hour, and the polymeric products which remained thereafter did not change any further even after 48 h at 900°C.