COMAC recently announced a localization breakthrough in key sealing components for its latest long-range wide-body aircraft. The aircraft utilizes a modified solid phenyl silicone rubber developed by a domestic new materials laboratory, successfully solving the sealing failure problem in the extreme cold environment at cruising altitude. Aviation rubber seals must maintain elasticity in a wide temperature range from -70°C to 200°C. Traditional silicone rubber tends to become brittle at extremely low temperatures. By incorporating high-purity phenyl raw gum as the base polymer, this new material significantly lowers the glass transition temperature, allowing it to maintain resilience even in liquid nitrogen environments at -100°C. Additionally, to adapt to complex hydraulic systems, the seal surface is coated with a specialized fluorosilicone oil, greatly enhancing wear resistance and shear stability. The project leader stated that this breakthrough signifies that China is no longer constrained by foreign technology in the field of aerospace-grade specialty rubber, and it will be gradually extended to spacecraft and deep-sea exploration equipment in the future.
Methyl phenyl vinyl silicone rubber IOTA 3120