What glass can withstand 1000 degrees?

08 Apr.,2024

 

$\begingroup$

In an oxygen-containing environment, no carbon-based polymer (which includes all epoxies) that I know of can tolerate 1000 C, at least not without significant degradation in mechanical strength.

There are two reasons for this:

One is that the carbon-carbon bonds will start to break down in large numbers at higher temperatures, and since the carbon-carbon to carbon-oxygen reaction is exothermic, if oxygen is around there will be no going back upon cooling.

The second is that even if the polymer doesn't chemically degrade, it will undergo a physical phase transition - it will melt, or at least soften. This can be compensated for by reinforcing with fiber or particles to make a composite. However, if it softens enough, a fiber composite will "delaminate" - the physical bonds holding the resin onto the reinforcment will come apart, and the composite will no longer be a composite.

Here is an interesting study that talks about both mechanisms of degradation, and lists several systems with their correpsonding melt and thermal decomposition temperatures. Polytetrafluoroethylene has the highest thermal decomposition temperature in this study, at 775 K (502 C).

Non-carbon polymers might be an option, although the tradeoff is that they are weaker and composite options are a lot more limited. Silicon-based polymers generally withstand higher temperatures than carbon analogues, but I wasn't able to find any that can approach 1000 C. Fluoro-polymers are another possibility - as you can see from the reference, they tend to have much higher stability in terms of thermal decomposition. There might be a fluoro-epoxy resin out there. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that the products of fluoro-polymer decomposition are particularly toxic and reactive, and so the applications where they could safely be used at high temperatures are probably very, very limited.

Edit in response to questions

One question regarding the "oxygen around", would this also include if layers of epoxy were applied as a extra layer ontop of the carbon or would it need to be a complete vacuum in order to prohibit oxidization?

If you had a layered carbon/polymer composite, the chemical reaction with the oxygen wouldn't start at the polymer-carbon interface, it would start at the surface exposed to oxygen. However, since the reaction is exothermic, once it starts burning, it would go quickly. The carbon would burn too at these temperatures. An inert atmosphere would prevent that reaction, but it would still thermally decompose - the difference would be that hopefully the decomposition wouldn't be as exothermic, and therefore would go more slowly. Now for epoxies, they have oxygen in the polymer structure. At high temperatures, that oxygen will react and the polymer will break apart whether there is an inert atmosphere or not.

The German Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology (UMSICHT) in Oberhausen, together with the Hörmann company, have developed fire-resistant double glazing that can withstand extreme heat and that can be produced without the carcinogenic substance acrylamide. It also produces less residual waste. Fraunhofer announced this on Friday.

According to Fraunhofer, the usual daily production of fire-resistant glass doors now accounts for 150 to 160 kilos of residual waste. This can be reduced to 20 kilos with the new material. Moreover, the glass doors can withstand a heat of up to 1000 degrees Celsius for up to 120 minutes. The researchers Holger Wack and Damian Hintemann received the Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize last Friday for this new invention.

From left to right Dr. Holger Wack and Damian Hintemann of Fraunhofer UMSICHT and Thomas Baus of Hörmann KG Glastechnik.

According to Fraunhofer, the innovation is down to a transparent aqueous and electrolyte-rich gel that is applied between two glass plates. In the event of a fire, the glass section in the direction of the fire breaks fairly quickly. But by then the gel has evaporated and then cools down the second piece of glass that is still intact. Besides that, a heat-insulating salt layer is also formed which provides extra protection.

Secret recipe

The researchers will not reveal the exact composition of the gel. “That’s a trade secret,” says Wack. According to Fraunhofer, at least 60 tests were needed to determine the right composition. Nevertheless, the development proceeded relatively quickly.

Hintemann: “Between the laboratory phase and the moment we were able to put the production process into practice, there were four years. That is a really short time for a technological development process. Usually, something like that takes 10 to 12 years.”

Support Us!

Donate

Name

Email address

Currency*Amount () *





I hereby authorize Media 52 B.V. to collect the amount shown above from my account periodically.

I hereby agree to the Privacy Policy

Collaboration with industry

According to the jury of the Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize, another key factor for the award was the successful collaboration with Hörmann. This company from Steinhagen not only manufactures smoke-proof and fire-resistant doors but also roller blinds, garage doors, gates, and window frames.

What glass can withstand 1000 degrees?

Non-toxic glass that can withstand extreme heat