Splonem

Splonem is a synthetic polymeric material designed for high-temperature and high-stress applications. It is a cross-linked organosilicon network that combines inorganic robustness with organic tunability, resulting in a glassy solid with a favorable strength-to-weight ratio.

Its structure comprises silsesquioxane-like cages linked by aromatic or aliphatic organic spacers, enabling a three-dimensional network. Reported density is about 1.2 g/cm3; its thermal stability is claimed up to 1100 °C in inert atmospheres, with oxidation resistance limited by exposure to air. The material is optically transparent in the visible range and has a low dielectric constant around 3.0 at 1 kHz. Mechanical tests indicate a Young's modulus in the 5–10 GPa range and tensile strengths of 150–250 MPa, depending on formulation.

Splonem was first described in the late 1990s by a consortium of researchers at the Global Institute of Materials Science. The name is derived from an internal term meaning resilience. Production typically uses a sol-gel route starting from alkoxysilanes and multifunctional organic crosslinkers, followed by heat treatment under inert gas to achieve a dense, cross-linked network. Process parameters can tailor porosity, density, and transparency.

Potential applications include aerospace heat shields, turbine component coatings, electrical insulation in high-temperature environments, and solid-state battery separators. Research continues to address scalability, moisture sensitivity, and long-term aging in oxidative conditions.

Safety and environmental considerations focus on solvent handling, energy consumption during curing, and emissions from organosilicon precursors; standard polymer safety protocols apply.