Helical polysilane coating onto hollow spherical indium oxide: Fabrication, characterization and infrared emissivity property study

A new-type of composite combined by helical polysilane (HPS) and hollow spherical indium oxide (In₂O₃) was designed and fabricated via solution blending. The hollow spheres constructed by In₂O₃ particles were synthesized via a facile hydrothermal route where it demonstrated larger surface area, enabling the combination of HPS and In₂O₃ more easily. Meanwhile, the synergetic effect between functional group of HPS and surface hydroxyl of In₂O₃ improve the reduction of infrared emission. Consequently, the composite shows a superior low infrared emissivity performance at the value of 0.416 (8–14 μm), and the covering of HPS make the composite disperse well in the polar reagent. This work develops a feasible strategy that utilizes metallic oxide to design and synthesize hollow spherical matrix for preparing the low infrared emissivity materials. - Graphical abstract: Morphological, structural and infrared emissivity properties of HPS/In₂O₃ complexes fabricated by the solution blending method were investigated. - Highlights: • The low infrared emissivity of HPS/In₂O₃ composite was investigated. • Hollow In₂O₃ spheres were obtained via hydrothermal reaction. • Computational studies with molecular mechanics simulations were conducted. • Noncovalent interaction between HPS and In₂O₃ has been discussed.