Silicone oil is an 'extreme adaptor' in the aerospace industry: from lubricating Mars probes to providing a 'liquid shield' for rocket fuel explosion prevention

The Mars probe needs to operate under extreme temperature differences of -120 ℃ to 70 ℃, and traditional lubricants may fail due to solidification or volatilization. However, the perfluoropolyether (PFPE) lubricant modified with silicone oil can maintain stability in the range of -180 ℃ to 250 ℃, and its lubrication performance only decreases by 15% in the Martian dust environment, ensuring that the probe's robotic arm can continue to work for more than 10 years. In the field of rocket fuel, the composite material of silicone oil and ionic liquid becomes an "explosion-proof expert": the material can be evenly dispersed in liquid oxygen/kerosene fuel, and the fuel explosion risk can be reduced by 90% by forming a stable interface facial mask to inhibit the formation of bubbles. In the static ignition test of SpaceX's Starship, the engine using this technology did not experience any detonation, setting a new benchmark for the safe design of reusable rockets.