Gamma Radiation Chemistry of Polydimethylsiloxane Foam in Radiation-Thermal Environments: Experiments and Simulations

The γ radiolysis behavior of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) in the radiation-thermal environments (dose rate, 0.2 Gy/s) is studied to pinpoint the basic knowledge of the temperature (20–70 °C) effects. The non-monotonous temperature effects on the formation of gas products, paramagnetic species in silica, and cross-linking density are proposed to correlate with the complex chemical reaction mechanisms. Besides, molecular dynamics simulation and theoretical calculation are first performed simultaneously based on the radical chemistry and intricate material composition, making it easier to comprehend and further harness the radiolysis mechanisms and structure deterioration of PDMS. The γ radiation-induced primary gas products and dominant cross-linking phenomena are reproduced by the molecular dynamics simulations with a reactive force field, and the reaction mechanisms and physicochemical interactions among PDMS chains, gas products, reactive radicals, and silica fillers are thoroughly studied at the atomic scale. The thermochemistry of the barrierless radical coupling reactions and reactions with explicit high-barrier transition states is calculated at the M06-2X theoretical level with the 6-311g(d, p) basis set. The barrierless reactions are all exothermal with the heat release of 321–618 kJ/mol, while the potential barriers for reactions with explicit transition states vary between 37 and 229 kJ/mol. The results show that γ radiation-induced radicals are crucial for the ensuing gas formation and cross-linking reactions, especially for the radical coupling reactions. The radical chemistry involved in the radiolytic PDMS is the key to understand and simulate its radiolysis behavior, according to the experimental and simulated results.