Abstract An experimental investigation of the degradation of Silicone rubber (SR) exposed to corona discharge under ambient conditions was presented. Silicone rubber specimens were subjected to a corona stress generated by sphere-plane electrodes geometry. The changes in hydrophobicity of test samples as a function of corona exposure time were determined by measuring the water static contact angle with a goniometer. The work of adhesion samples were calculated by considering the static contact angles of water in relation to corona exposure duration. The experimental results have revealed that corona ageing of the specimens involves an increase of work of adhesion but the contact angle and surface potential decrease. Morphology and surface chemistry of the silicone rubber before and after aging were also investigated through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, respectively. Aging had a significant impact on the surface of specimens. Indeed, the corona discharges lead to changes in the structure and the surface morphology of the specimen. Keywords : Silicone rubber ; AC corona; hydrophobicity; surface potencial; SEM; FTIR