Today,
the Fourth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology
Corporation announced that the "Extreme-Environment-Resistant
Phenyl-Fluorosilicone Composite Sealing Material," jointly developed
with Northwestern Polytechnical University, has passed aerospace-grade
environmental simulation validation. It successfully solved the sealing
failure problem of China's deep space probes under ultra-low temperature
and strong radiation conditions. By innovatively integrating the
low-temperature resistance of phenyl silicone rubber with the radiation
resistance of fluorosilicone rubber, the material maintains elasticity
across a wide temperature range of -110°C to 280°C while withstanding
γ-ray radiation of 10^6 Gray (Gy), providing critical material support
for China's "Tianwen-3" Mars sample return mission and future deep space
exploration projects.
According
to the project's chief scientist, deep space probes face dual
challenges of extreme cold (below -100°C) and intense radiation when
traversing the asteroid belt or orbiting gas giants. Traditional
fluoroelastomer seals are prone to embrittlement and cracking at low
temperatures, while ordinary silicone rubber struggles to withstand
high-energy particle bombardment. The R&D team introduced
fluorine-containing side groups into the phenyl silicone rubber backbone
and adopted nano-silica reinforcement technology to construct a
three-dimensional network structure combining "low-temperature
flexibility" and "radiation shielding." Experimental data showed that
after continuous operation for 12 months in a simulated Mars surface
environment (-120°C, ultraviolet radiation intensity 100 times that of
Earth), the material's compression set rate remained below 5%, far
superior to the international standard for similar products (<15%).
Currently,
the material has passed full certification from the National Aerospace
Materials Testing Center and been included in the "Recommended Catalog
of Key Materials for China's Deep Space Exploration." China Aerospace
Science and Technology Corporation stated that this technology will be
promoted to major projects such as lunar research stations and asteroid
defense systems, driving the upgrade of China's deep space exploration
equipment toward longer service life and higher reliability.
Phenyl silicone rubber IOTA BHTV 3830 series
