Diffusion of low molecular weight siloxane from bulk to surface [outdoor insulators]

Silicone-based materials for outdoor insulators have the advantage that low molecular weight (LMW) components migrate through the material and coat the surface, thereby restoring hydrophobicity over a period of hours. By measuring the infrared (IR) absorption of siloxane migrating to the silicone surface through a thin carbon coating, the aspect of the LMW siloxane migration was observed as a real time plot and the time constant of the migration was calculated. According to the time dependence of IR-absorbance, the migration mostly saturated within only 12 hours after the carbon coating was applied. Also, the time constant showed a dependence on the concentration of added filler in the silicone samples.