Improving the Thermal Insulation and Ablative Properties of Liquid Silicone Rubber by Adding Titanium Dioxide

ABSTRACT The development of aerospace industry advances the design and preparation of high‐performance flexible ablation‐resistant and thermal insulation materials. In this work, a simultaneous improvement of thermal ablative and erosion resistance, thermal insulation, and char quality of epoxy modified vinyl silicone rubber (EMVSR)‐based composites was achieved by adding a small amount of titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ). The results showed that TiO 2 acted as a heat shielding agent by reflecting dissipated heat and catalyzing the graphitization as well as reinforcing the char layer through co‐caramelization reaction. The linear ablation rate and back‐face temperature of EMVSR with 5 phr TiO 2 were reduced by 21.5% and 16.1% when compared with the control sample (without TiO 2 ) at a heat flux of 4 MW/m 2 . Moreover, the emissivity, thermal insulation, surface temperature, as well as the densification of char layer were improved by adding TiO 2 . This work provided a facile method to develop high‐performance flexible thermal ablative materials for thermal protection purposes in the aerospace and fire protection sectors among others.