Effect of Pyrolysis Temperature on the Mechanical Response in Partially Pyrolysed Polysiloxanes

Abstract

The pyrolysis process of polysiloxane resin conducted in the temperature range 400 – 700 °C results in hybrid materials owning some polymeric (thermosetting) behaviour. A certain level of elastic recovery and/or viscoelastic flow showed at various steps of pyrolytic transformation was monitored using the instrumented Vickers hardness method. Determined indentation force-indentation depth curves reflect the mechanical response and the level of the transformation; however, the relaxation behaviour is not covered by this method fully. An extensive indentation relaxation was revealed in the material partially pyrolysed at 400 °C, about 16 % and 8 % when the HV 0.1 and the HV 0.2 loading were applied, respectively. Materials pyrolysed from 500 to 650 °C which exhibited the indentation relaxation below 1 % and the mostly elastic response on the loading were observed. Above the pyrolysis temperature of 600 °C a rapid onset of mechanical properties, namely indentation elastic modulus and hardness, was observed. The short-term indentation relaxation was evaluated via the indentation force relaxation method in the regime of constant indentation depth obtained at the moment of reaching an initial force of 0.981 N or 1.962 N. The obtained indentation force relaxation curves were analysed on the basis of a logarithmic function. The significant effect of the pyrolysis temperature as well as the influence of loaded volume was described.