The flame retardant mechanism for silicone rubber induced by adding ppm order of a platinum compound, platinum (0)-1,3-divinyl-1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane complex was studied by analytical pyrolysis techniques and alkaline hydrolysis gas chromatography. The thermal degradation measurement of the flame retardant silicone rubber sample (FR-SR) indicated that a considerable amount of methane was evolved from the FR-SR sample at around 400-800 degreesC while formations of cyclic siloxanes were fairly suppressed in comparison with that from the control SR sample. On the other hand, on the gas chromatogram of the hydrolysis products from the FR-SR residue samples thermally treated over 400 degreesC, significant amounts of characteristic products reflecting the cross-linking structures generating from methylene-bridge and trifunctional siloxane structures in the polymer chains were observed. These results suggest that the thermal decomposition of the FR-SR material is strongly suppressed by the formation of the cross-linking structures induced by the platinum compound during combustion, which leads to its flame retardancy. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.