Linear Silicone Fluids

Basic Properties of Linear Silicone Fluids & Its Uses

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What are linear silicone fluids? 

Linear Silicone fluid compounds consist of spiral chains and can easily float and flow over one another compound. 

  • Linear silicone fluids are odorless, nontoxic, and fireproof. 
  • Linear Silicone fluids have extraordinary thermal stability. 
  • These fluids flow at the highest temperatures. 
  •  Linear silicone oils have lubricant properties. 

Molecular structure of silicone oil: 

 

Linear Silicone Fluids

Molecular Formula of Linear Silicone Fluids

The linear Silicone oil have of groups of siloxane polymers that is combined from chain of silicone and oxygen atoms. This chain is the repetition of silicone, oxygen, and carbon atoms. Linear silicone fluids have many various methyl groups, amino groups that are functional and several thousand units. For the reaction of the siloxane polymers with another mineral by replacing the methyl group with phenyl group. To integrate the siloxane polymers into several types of organic polymers add some reactive organic compounds and this process will give unique properties to this liquid as compared to organic polymers.  

Properties of linear Silicone fluids made by Hangzhou Hengyi Technology Co.,ltd 

Linear Silicone Fluids

Properties of Linear Silicone Fluids

Hangzhou Hengyi is supplying silicone fluids on large scale. This chemical company offers silicone fluids with these properties that are listed below as follows:  

  • Viscosity of Silicone fluids: The viscosity of clear silicone fluid offered    by Hangzhou Hengyi is from 50cst to 1,000,000cst.  
  • Molecular weight: The molecular weight of silicone fluid made by Hangzhou Hengyi depends on the degree of polymerization. 
  • Thermal Conductivity of Silicone Oils: Surface tension is comparatively exceptionally low, and all silicone fluid compounds of Hangzhou Hengyi have low thermal conductivity. It stays unchanged even at the elevated temperatures 
  • Waterproofing agents: Its silicone oils have excellent water resistance and that is why they are highly in demand all over the world. 
  • Damping resistance in Silicone oils: Damping resistance is strong in Hengyi silicone oils. 
  • Insulation Properties: Silicone oils of Hengyi have outstanding insulation and heat resistance properties. Silicone oils have superb di- electric properties. Silicon oils absorb moisture used in di electric breakdown. Silicone fluids are used in transformer oil. Also used as capacitors oil in electric appliances. 
  • Vapor points of Silicone fluids: The vapor points of Hengyi Silicone oils are extremely high and frozen points are all time low.  
  • Boiling Points of Silicone fluids: The working temperature range of silicone fluids is -50℃ to 200℃. 
  • Compressibility of silicone fluids: The linear silicone fluid has extraordinarily high compressibility and cannot be compressed easily during pressurization. The compressibility of silicone fluids is much higher as compared to petroleum-based heat resistant oils and mock lubricants, that’s why silicone fluids are used as damper oil. 
  • Solubility of silicone oils with other solute or solution: Silicone fluid is exceedingly soluble with these solvents that are listed below as follow: 
  • Toluene 
  • Xylene 
  • Ligroin 
  • Mineral spirits  
  • Chlorinated hydrocarbons

Silicone fluids stay insoluble in these solutions that are  

  •  Ethanol 
  • Methanol  
  •  Water  
  • Lubricity Silicone Fluids: silicone fluid has ideal lubricity properties due to its  
  • Strong viscosity 
  • Resistance at high- and low-temperature  

          Here are the lubrication applications of silicone oils are listed below as follow: 

  • wood-wood interfaces 
  • Combinations of plastics 
  • Steel-bronze  
  • Steel-aluminum 
  • Steel-zinc 
  • Silicone oil is harmless to living things: silicone fluids are harmless as they have low viscosity. Low viscosity liquids are always less harmful for humans and animals. Silicone fluids are inert, that is why it is used in skin treatment products and making foods. 
  • Silicone fluids have Radiation Resistance: Silicon fluids are used in the presence of elevated temperature of radiological appliances. The molecule of the silicone fluids has phenyl groups, and the stability of the silicone fluids radiation resistance depends on it. Silicon fluids are extensively used in radiological instruments. 
  • Resistance to Shear Stress: The shear stress resistance of Silicone oils is immensely high, and the shear degradation resistance of silicone fluids stays constant even at the high loads and speeds. As compared to minerals, shear stress does not destroy the molecules of silicone fluids and the viscosity still is changed to earlier level. 

Uses of Linear Silicone fluid: 

 Linear silicone fluids, due to their many benefits, are used in several industries. Here is the list of linear silicone fluids are listed below as follows: 

Uses of Silicone oil in Automobile Industry 

Silicone fluids are widely used in the automobile industry and industrialists take lots of benefits from it. Silicon fluids are used in clutch assemblies of electric cooling fans. Linear silicone fluids are also used in shock absorbers, dashpots oil, hydraulic fluids of planes, and for damping systems that are specially designed for maximum temperature processes. 

Use of Silicone fluids in Wood Working and Construction 

Construction and wood products are the main basic elements of our lifestyle. Silicone oil is used as silicone lubricant sprays during construction and to keep the wood tools safe for a long time. Silicone lubricants are in the form of oils used to keep the greasiness of the construction tools in elevated temperatures. Silicone lubricant oils are waterproof, nonreactive oils and never oxidize the tools. 

Use of silicone oil in Cosmetics 

Silicone oils play a key role in the cosmetics industry. Silicone oils are inactive, light transmission, ultraviolet resistance to sunlight and transparent. Its molecules have weak forces of attraction. It is skin friendly because these are non-toxic, and non-irritating oils. Cosmetic manufacturing companies use silicone oils as emulsifiers. It helps other products to combine with cosmetic products. As it has strong compatibility with other cosmetic materials. Silicone oil is used in facial masks to supply protection to the human face and save it from adverse effects of other chemical products. Linear silicone fluids luster and brighten the human skin. The most demanding products silicone oils that are used in manufacturing of skin care and hair care products are listed below as follow: 

  • Polydisiloxane 
  • Poly methyl phenyl siloxane 
  • Poly dimethyl cyclo siloxane 
  • Silicone glycol copolymer 
  •  Amine group Modified silicone oil 
  • Poly siloxane protein copolymer  
  • Methyl chloride-containing silicone oil 
  •  Emulsified silicone oil  

 

Uses of linear silicone fluids in medical industry: 

  • For the eyes treatment: 

Silicone fluids have effective use in the medical industry. During eye operations and treatment silicone fluids are used due to purity of the oil. 

  • Manufacturing of Medicine: 

 Linear Silicone oil is used in the preparation of medicine that is used in stomach diseases. Silicone oil is beneficial for human digestive system to get relief from gas. 

  • Skin Care Creams and Skin Treatment 

During the manufacturing of skin care products (skin care creams) and medicine. Silicone fluids prevents face skin from drying and creates a protective breathable layer across the face skin. For the treatment of skin diseases, for example burning parts of the body silicone oil is used in the manufacturing of pharmaceutical creams. 

Uses of Silicone oil in Cooking 

As silicone oils have defoaming and anti-foaming properties. Chefs use it in a less amount while frying food to save it from foaming and splashing. It never changes the taste of the food and never creates a smell in the food. 

Use of silicone oil in Textile industry 

In the textile industry the demand for silicone oil is increasing day by day due to its effective use in manufacturing clothes. Silicone oils make the fabric softer and shiny. The linear silicone fluids used as

  • Lubricants 
  • Finishing 
  • Waterproofing 
  • Flame retardants 
  • Antistatic  

Agents in both textile and garments industry. It increases the quality and stability of clothes. The industrialists have saved fabrics for a long time with the use of silicone oils. Hangzhou Hengyi has contracted with textile industries for supplying silicone fluids in copious quantities that are used in printing, coating, and designing. 

Silicone oils used in Aircrafts and Aerospace Satellites: 

Silicone oil has anti-shear properties, that is why it is widely used in planes as hydraulic oil, lubricants, heat transfer oil and Aerospace Satellites industry. 

Silicone oils used in cooling machines: 

Silicone oil is used in cooling devices such as refrigerants. Silicone oil is also used in laboratories for heating baths. 

Uses of silicone oil in paints 

Use silicone oil while painting the walls and machinery products. This will make the paint waterproof and heat resistant. The paint will stay longer on the walls and seasonal circumstances do not affect the paints. A less quantity of silicone oil in paints will make the color shiny and attractive. It will increase the stability of the paints. 

Precautions to use silicone oil on industrial level: 

Silicone oils are used and manufactured in industries daily on a large scale. During the manufacturing of silicone oil on industrial level the workers should follow these precautions that are listed below as follow: 

  •  Avoid standing with uncovered Containers while heating: Cover the Containers and avoid overheating. Overheating builds high pressure and causes cracking of the containers. Vapors of the fluids mixed with air and make explosive material in the air. This will affect the air and taking breathe in that environment is harmful for the workers. Please keep the container tightly closed during high pressures and temperature. 
  • Do not directly use silicone fluids: Do not use silicone spray directly on flame. Keep away the fluids from sunlight, hot surfaces, and open flame. 
  • Educate your staff for the use of silicone fluids: Trained the staff first before sending him to the manufacturing environment place. Wear safe clothes before going to the production place of silicone oil. Please do not send an affected person to that place. If the person is affected, then takeout him from the manufacturing area and change his clothes. If his breathing is difficult then provide him with oxygen to breathe and recover quickly.  
  • Wear a working dress before using silicone fluids: Be dressed in breathing apparatus and suitable protective outfit. Wear Firefighter’s dress to protect yourself from this type of situation. Wear glasses to protect your eyes. Wash the working outfits after using it.  

How Hengyi Tek is important for all the Chemical Producing Industries? 

To meet the needs of your industries for silicone fluids and other chemical products you can contact Hengyi Tek that is a company supplying inorganic and organic pigments on a commercial level. Hengyi Tek chemical group is giving quality assurance to their clients. They use modern technology to produce silicone fluids and deliver them all over the world and have excellent reviews from their satisfied clients. Here I am talking about silicone fluids that are available on Hengyi Tek website with different variations. Here are some the silicone fluids products with their follow: 

  • What is use of Agricultural silicone spreading and penetrating agent? 

 Agricultural silicone spreading and penetrating agent is used to reduce the amount of pesticide and improve efficiency. 

  • What is the importance of silicone spreading and penetrating agent?

     

silicone spreading and penetrating agent is used to increase the uptake and lessen the amount of the spraying agent. 

  • Where is volatile silicone oil used? 

volatile silicone oil used volatile carrier in personal care products, air freshener and antiperspirants. 

  • What is the purpose of Silicon spreading and penetrating agent?

Silicon spreading and penetrating agent is used to lower the water surface tension. 

  • For which industry Silicone defoamer is beneficial? 

Silicone defoamer is used in the textile and paper industry for dyeing paper and polyester at elevated temperatures. 

  • What to do Silicone Leveling Agent in Paints? 

Silicone Leveling Agent is used in UV paint and coating solvent to increase fluidity and smoothness of paints. 

  • What is the use of Caprylyl Silicone Oil? 

Caprylyl Silicone Oil is used in cosmetic industry, skin care products, hair treatment products, deodorant, scent, antiperspirant, and sunscreen. 

Thank you for visiting and reading this blog. If you want to see more chemical products visit Hangzhou Hengyi for more details. 

  

  

 

 

  

Silicone-oil-factory

How is Silicone Oil Manufactured? A detailed Overview.

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You might have heard the phrase “We are living in a plastic world” because plastic is everywhere, incorporated into almost every aspect of our lives. Here at Hengyi Tek, we have our phrase “We are living in a silicone world”, silicone has been an integral part of our daily chores such as using silicone chips in our computers and automotive vehicles. Silicone has an excellent reputation for its existence in various physical forms which gives it a headstart over its counterparts. Silicone exists in the solid state as the general public knows it. Silicone also exists in the gel-like material such as in silicone implants. The last known physical state of silicone to a common is liquid silicone which is often termed silicone oil or silicone fluid. Although it is not commonly known that silicone also exists in liquid form, the uses of silicone oil or silicone fluid are very crucial and are used in several industries.

You might be pondering about the manufacturing process of silicone oil, but before that, it is a must that we talk briefly about the uses of silicone oil and its properties. Silicone-oil-factory

 Let’s discuss the later part first, the properties of silicone oil:

Properties:

The linear structure of silicone fluids (polydimethylsiloxanes) is primarily responsible for all the beneficial properties exhibited by them.

High Molecular Weight:

It is one of the very few materials which maintains a liquid consistency at such high molecular weight making it useful.

Stable Viscosity-Temperature profile:

High molecular weight and the linear structure helps silicone oil maintain a constant or minor change in viscosity over a wide range of temperatures. This is one of the most important properties which makes it the best for various uses.

Thermal and Oxidative Stability:

Silicone oil is semi-inorganic which makes it somewhat resistant to thermal degradation and oxidative degradation. While organic fluids are particularly prone to both kinds of degradations.

Doesn’t absorb UV and X-Rays:

Silicone oil is also used in the medical and healthcare industry so this property of inability to absorb UV and X-rays comes in handy while being used in medical settings.

Low Surface Tension:

This property is of particular importance for its use in various industries.

Low Vapor Pressure.

Low Volatility.

High Flash and Ignition Point.

High Specific Resistance.

Water Insolubility.

Dielectric Properties.

Now that we have discussed the properties briefly, let’s move on to discuss the uses of silicone oil in brief:

Uses of Silicone fluid: 

The properties mentioned above provide silicone fluids with the liberty of usage in several industries. Silicone fluids are used as lubricants and release agents in their pure forms. The use of silicone oils as lubricants has been around for a while, especially in hydraulic aircraft engines. The food industry owes a bundle of thanks to silicone fluids as it is used as releasing agent in cooking sprays and for baking purposes. The textile industry has also seen a major boom in the use of silicone fluids for smooth touching in fabrics. The paint industry is also one of those reaping benefits from this magical fluid.

How to Manufacture Silicone oil?

Before diving into the exact process of how silicone fluids are made. We must develop an understanding of the structure of silicone and its various compounds. Commonly used Silicones are polymeric compounds of silicone having a silicone-oxygen chain with both of these at alternating positions (Si-O-Si), this alternating chain of silicon and oxygen atoms makes up the backbone of Silicone compounds.

Silicone-oil-in-glass-jar

Depending upon the extent to which a silicone compound can bear functional groups, they can be classified as monofunctional, difunctional, trifunctional, and tetrafunctional. The structural formulas for all of them are given below:

Monofunctional Silicone Compounds:

They are also known as end groups. The degree of Polycondensation and viscosity of the polymer depends upon the monofunctional group present in organo-poly siloxane which limits the chain length affecting these parameters.

Molecular Formula:                              R3SiO1/2

Starting Silane:                                     R3SiCl

Difunctional Silicone Compounds:

Difunctional functional groups tend to have a higher degree of molecular chains.

Molecular Formula:                                  R2SiO2/2 

Starting Silane:                                         R2SiCl2 

Trifunctional Silicone Compounds:

These often tend to produce 3-D structures which are cross-linked.

Molecular Formula:                                  RSiO3/2 

Starting Silane:                                         RSiCl3 

Tetrafunctional (Quaternary) Silicone Compounds:

Molecular Formula:                                  SiO4/2 

Starting Silane:                                         SiCl4 

Mono and difunctional silicone compounds are the primary components for linear chain silicone oils, so our discussion will be limited to these two.

Another categorization of organosilanes is based on the type of substituent (R) present in the structure of the silicone oil.

Dimethyl Siloxane: 

When methyl (CH3) is present as a substituent on two positions in a linear chain of siloxane, it is called dimethyl siloxane or dimethyl silicone oil. The majority of organosilanes have dimethyl silicone in their structure. Trimethylsilyl-terminated dimethylpolysiloxane is also a major contributor to organosilanes.

Some other types of methyl silane are considered important such as

Methylhydrogensiloxanes:

This type of silicone has hydrogen in place of one of the methyl groups present on the difunctional unit.

Phenymethylsilicone Fluids:

The methyl group present in the backbone of dimethyl silicone is replaced by phenyl groups. They tend to show somewhat different extents of properties

Different properties can be achieved by changing the proportion of phenyl to methyl groups present on the backbone of silicone oil structures.

There are a lot of modifications that can be incorporated into the alternating silicone oil backbone and there is a significant number of silicone oils that are produced each year.

Glycolfunctional Siloxanes are another modified silicone that is water soluble, their silicone backbone contains glycol chains consisting of ethylene oxide or polyepoxide.

The use of silicone oils in the aqueous environment depends upon what kind of bonding they have for silicone with adjacent atoms. Bonds can be formed between silicone, oxygen, and carbon such as Si-O-C, these types of bonds are subjected to hydrolysis, also the bonds can be formed between silicone and carbon such as Si-C, the best property exhibited by this type of linkage is that they are unsaponifiable.

The procedure for the production of Silicon Fluids/Silicone Oil: 

We have already stated that our focus in this article will be the production method or manufacturing method of dimethyl silicone oil as it is one of the basic and most important forms. 

There are a few basic reactions that take place in the production of dimethyl silicone fluids, these reactions are considered to be of fundamental importance in all organo-silicone compound chemistry.

Silicone-oil-manufacturing

Before going into details of all these fundamental reactions, let’s list them all:

‌Müller-Rochow Synthesis

‌Hydrolysis, Methanolysis, Condensation

‌Polymerization Reaction

‌Equilibration Reaction

Transesterification Reaction

Hydrosilylation Reaction

Direct Synthesis Reaction

Now Let’s discuss all of them in a little detail:

‌Müller-Rochow Synthesis

Methylchlorosilanes are produced with the help of this reaction. These are cheaper to produce in terms of finances. Silicone and methyl chloride (in gaseous form) are primarily required for the reaction. A high temperature of 260-320°C is required with the presence of copper as a catalyst. Reactions take place in a gas/solid state. The equation of the above-said reaction is shown below, and it leads to the production of dimethyldichlorosilane as follows:

Si + 2CH3CI → (CH3)2SiCl2

‌Hydrolysis,methanolysis, and Condensation.

These three steps take place after the synthesis of organocholosilanes. Hydrolysis and methanolysis generally take place before condensation; both have organocholosilanes as their targets. After hydrolysis and methanolysis, the next step is condensation which leads to silane production. During these three processes, the acid chloride of silicic acid reacts with water and methanol. Details of the reaction are given below in the following:

(CH3)2SiCI2+ 2H2O→(CH3)2Si (OH)2 +2HCI 

n(CH3)2Si(OH)2→HO一[(CH3)2SiO]n一H + (n一1) H2O

nSi + 2nCH3OH →rnHO一[(CH3)2SiOH]x一 f (n一rn)H20 

The above reaction depicts the condensation of dimethyl dichlorosilanes after hydrolysis had already taken place. During this reaction, the elimination of water from silanol groups results in the production of high molecular siloxanes. The biggest drawback of hydrolysis reaction is that it results in a considerable amount of HCL gas production which leads to pollution. Methanolysis, on the other hand, is pollution free in this regard and fact more economical because the chlorine produced can be reused in the production of methyl chloride. 

Polymerization Reaction:

Out of many ways to produce silicone oils, one is called the polymerization reaction. As the name suggests, polymerization reactions result in the production of high molecular linear polysiloxanes from those siloxane rings which are free from hydroxyl groups.

Equilibration Reaction:

It is one of the mega players in the production of silicone fluids. The main goal of the reaction is to homogenize the siloxane mixtures which have a different molecular weight. This reaction is catalyzed in such a way that the final siloxane mixture is a gaussian molecular weight mixture. Silicone fluids with desired viscosity can be drawn out using an equilibration reaction and also stable uniform distribution can be achieved using this reaction.

Direct Synthesis Reactions:

In this type of synthesis, the reactants are either silicone or SiH containing silanes and chlorobenzene. After silicone and chlorobenzene react to produce phenylchlorosilanes which are repeatedly hydrolyzed to produce silicone oil.

Hydrosilylation reaction: 

It is a catalytic reaction in which noble metals act as a catalyst and they add ω-terminated olefinic molecules to SiH silanes.

Transesterification Reaction: 

Alkosilyl groups are transesterified by a silanol group-containing siloxanes which yield silicone oil.

Insertion Reactions are also one way to produce silicone oil.

All these processes can be used to produce silicone oil. Some of them are more economical and more frequently used but that is not our concern for today.

Where to buy silicone oil

Silicone Oil uses in different Product and Industries

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Silicone is one of the most commonly used chemical ingredients known to human beings and the users are as young as newborns who drink milk from silicone-made feeder nipples to all the adults who consume silicone through various products used in day-to-day life tasks. Silicone has found its way into most aspects of life like technology, medical science, cosmetics, electronics, etc. But the question is how this material is found in so many things around us although two things containing silicone might not look like each other at all. The answers lie in silicone’s ability to exist in many physical forms e.g., Silicone oil, Silicone grease, Silicone rubber, Silicone resin, Silicone caulk, etc.

Silicone oil is probably one of the most fascinating chemicals we have today and all the buzz around the benefits of silicone oil is real.

Silicone oil uses

Let’s have a closer look here to understand more about silicone oil and see how we can get more out of it:

WHAT IS SILICONE OIL?

They can be defined as a linear chain of Poly siloxane that contains silicone and oxygen at alternating positions. Silicone atom in the linear chain has two spots where they can bind with carbon groups like methyl is bounded. Several polymers can be made out of it like Polydimethylsiloxane. Polymers can affect the degree of physical and chemical properties offered by silicone oils.

It is a colorless, tasteless, and odorless substance that can be found in a liquid or semi-solid state depending on the degree of polymerization. It also possesses a large compression ratio which gives it higher thermodynamic efficiency making it excellent for use as a hydraulic fluid in various machines. The viscosity-temperature coefficient of silicone is low (Viscosity and temperature are intervened. Viscosity is an important factor as low viscosity of lubricants means lower consumption of fuel. Generally, in petroleum oils, the viscosity is much more dependent on temperature, and at higher temperatures viscosity increases making fuel consumption greater than consumption at lower temperatures. Still, silicone oils show a little change in their viscosity with an increase in temperature) which makes them an excellent lubricant. Silicone oil has a much lower surface tension which helps it spread over the surface more easily and this property justifies its use in various cosmetic products where lower surface tension is important for the best and even results. This property of lower surface tension has also paved the path for silicone oil to be used as a defoamer and release agent. Heat resistance is another property that stands strong in favor of silicone to be used in multiple high-temperature open and closed systems. Temperatures even as high as 250°C do not affect silicone oil at all.

For this degree of heat resistance, it is used in lab research apparatus. While being heat resistant, silicone fluid interestingly is also an excellent low-temperature resistant substance. Dimethyl silicone oil can bear temperatures as low as -50°C and Methylphenyl silicone oil can remain fluid even at -65°C. Maybe this is the reason for use of silicone oil refrigerants used in refrigerators. These low-temperature-resistant properties make them excellent for use in some of the coldest regions around the world. Low thermal conductivity is another key feature of silicone oil as its thermal conductivity is as low as 25% compared to that of water. Low thermal conductivity means silicone oil can be used as heat transfer material or as an insulation material with better energy-efficient performance. Moreover, as we discussed earlier that viscosity and temperature are related, a general increase in viscosity means an increase in thermal conductivity, but in the case of silicone oil the thermal conductivity becomes constant above a viscosity of 100 mm2/s. Recently, the water-repellent characteristic of silicone fluid has found its way into the textile and coating industry. The ceramics industry, glass, and fiber production industries are the ones benefiting from this technology. Silicone oil offers high resistance to heavy stress applied to it, this is a feature that mineral oil doesn’t exhibit and often their oil molecules deform under sheer stress also there is a visible change in viscosity. Those silicone oils have a viscosity lower than 1000 mm2/s; stress doesn’t change their viscosity too much. But larger viscosity silicone oils might see a visible change in viscosity on the application of stress which is reversible because the oil molecules are not deformed unlike mineral oils and thus regain their original viscosity when the stress applied to them is removed. This feature makes silicone oil the ultimate king in the game as outperforms petroleum-based oils by 20 times. Although multiple properties of silicone oil make it a perfect lubricant, such as constant viscosity, heat resistance, and low-temperature resistance, it has poor lubrication where there is steel-to-steel friction. This feature doesn’t limit the use of silicone lubricant in steel-aluminum or steel-bronze parts of different machinery. Phenyl polymers of silicone oil have shown more resistance to radiations than other polymers and more phenyl groups added to the chain add more resistance to radiations. For the same reason, methyl phenyl silicone oil is more resistant to radiation than conventional dimethyl silicone oil. Thanks to its radiation-resistant properties, methyl phenyl silicone oil is used in the high-temperature parts of radiation equipment. Just like its viscosity, the electrical properties of silicone fluid are also constant over a wide variety of electrical frequencies and temperatures. Dielectric breakdown is often an issue encountered with the use of mineral oil products, but silicone oil is much better at handling dielectric breakdown. All the insulating oils absorb moisture which can affect the electrical insulation properties of these oils, silicone oil is no exception here so extra care is needed when using it as an insulation fluid and dehydration of silicone oil is necessary before applying electrical stress.

As of now, we have discussed all the important characteristics of silicone oil and a little overview of the uses of this magnificent fluid, it’s time for a deep discussion about how silicone oil is incorporated into our life.

IS SILICONE OIL SAFE FOR HUMANS?

As we know, Silicone oil is tasteless and colorless.

Does that mean it can be a perfect homicidal substance? Fortunately, it is not because it is not known to be a toxic substance. It is one of the beneficial chemical entities for the human body as it has found its way into various medical procedures. Also, silicone oil is used in a lot of cosmetic products which are applied directly on the skin, so silicone is also known to be beneficial for the skin. Certain drugs also include silicone oil as a basic component or as a vital ingredient for their desirous actions.

A detailed discussion of the medical uses of silicone fluid is given below in one of the paragraphs.

 

DIFFERENT TYPES OF SILICONE OILS

Silicone oil is a broad term, and several different types of silicone oil are derived by the polymerization of different groups at the silicone molecule.

  • Polymethyl hydrogen siloxane

Polymethyl hydrogen siloxane oil has found its application in waterproofing and anti-sticking treatment procedures as it is a colorless and odorless oil. It is also used for increasing the durability of certain materials by crosslinking and it also extends the liquid silicone rubber chain. The addition of an epoxy group to polymethyl hydrogen siloxane oil can fairly improve its absorption, reactivity, and coupling properties. Polymethyl hydrogen siloxane oil is used for the treatment of dry-surfaced materials such as fire extinguishing powder to make it more free-flowing and avoid clogging. Sometimes polymethyl hydrogen siloxane oil is used to create a waterproof film over metal surfaces.

  • Amino silicone oil

The introduction of an amino group at one of the methyls in the Poly siloxane chain produces amino silicone oils which are popular in the textile industry. The application of amino silicone oils in textile gives the following properties to the product:

  • Abrasion resistance
  • Elastic feeling
  • Soft Touch feeling
  • Excellent wrinkle recovery
  • Increased durability

Amino Silicone oil can also be used in hair care products such as shampoos. It is highly inflammable so it must be kept away from fire. Amino silicone oil is also used in the textile industry for giving a perfect finish to clothing material. Additionally, they are also being used for manufacturing, silicone emulsions, and also as smoothening agents.

  • Phenyl methyl silicone oil

Phenyl methyl silicone possesses properties like good insulation, high-temperature resistance and low-temperature resistance, and anti-ozone with small surface tension making it very useful in a lot of products.

It is further divided into three groups depending upon the ratio of phenyl groups present and all of them have different applications.

Low Phenyl methyl silicone oil can be used for instruments that often face very low temperatures.

Medium phenyl methyl silicone oil and high phenyl methyl silicone oil are more resistant to higher temperatures and radiations and thus they are used as lubricants.

  • Vinyl silicone oil

Vinyl silicone oil is known to be an intermediate material because it has methyl silicone-like properties which make it suitable for the smoothness and limpness of clothes. Vinyl silicone oil has better solubility with organic material as compared to that methyl silicone oil because of the double bond present in vinyl silicone oil.

Owing to this reactivity, let’s discuss some of the applications of vinyl silicone oil:

  1. It is one of the main ingredients in the manufacturing of liquid silicone rubber. It increases the strength and durability of silicone rubber.
  2. When allowed to react with organic materials, it produces a substance that has better properties than its conventional counterparts.

  • Hydroxy silicone oil

Hydroxy-terminated polydimethylsiloxane is a highly active silicone of medium and high-density hydroxy end-blocked Silicone polymer.

As the processing aid for silicone rubber can ameliorate the silicone rubber’s processing performance used as a silicone rubber structure regulator, as a fabric finishing agent, can significantly reduce the polyester thread’s smoothness, sewing capacity, high-temperature resistance, and antistatic performance.

It can make the fabric soft, smooth and elastic, and also give fabric, paper, and leather leakproof, water- and performance. Hydroxy silicone oil is used in hair products for beneficial effects like gloss, shine, and fluffiness. Hydroxy silicone oil has also been used in coating and pigments for providing characteristics such as defoaming effects, anti-convection, and anti-skinning effects.

 

As we have gone through different types of silicone oil, let’s have a closer look at how silicone oil is used in other products:

 1. SILICONE OIL AS PAINT ADDITIVE

Silicone oil/silicone fluid is often used as an additive in paints due to numerous characteristics which are displayed by silicone fluids such as lower surface tension. This property when impacted into paints by silicone oil makes the paint very even on the surface upon which it is being applied. The addition of silicone fluid in paints prevents several film flaws which are common without silicone additives.

silicone oil for paints industry

The following are some features imparted by silicone additives in paints:

  • Reduced Friction

Paint films have significantly higher friction coefficients, but the addition of silicone oil significantly reduces this friction and gives a smooth touch when applied.

  • Increased Durability

The addition of dimethyl silicone oil into paints leads to improvement in the durability of the paint and this particular feature arises due reaction of the methyl group with paint resins. The longer the paint survives on the surface, the better it is for the consumer, so silicone oils bring great value to the paint industry in terms of creating a strong reputation.

  • Water Repellent

As we discussed earlier silicone oil is water-repellent, the same effect is imparted to paints when silicone oil is added to them. Water-repellent property is of ultimate importance for paints, as these paints can be used in aqueous environments such as paints for boats and submarine, also these paints are of utmost importance in tropical areas because they have a more significant amount of moisture in the air than other areas and frequents rains make it water-repellent paints a better choice in saving the metals surfaces and nowadays these paints are used on walls, especially by those having kids.

  • Resistance to Salty Water

Functional groups in silicone oil react with metals and inorganic materials while being a constituent of paint and provide better resistance to salty water and better metal sticking properties. Owing to this resistance to salty water conditions, Paints with silicone oil as an additive are therefore useful on boats, submarines, marine oil drilling equipment, and all other metal structures which are bound to come in contact with marine water for a longer period.

  • Defoaming Effect

Silicone fluids when added to the paint prevent the foam-forming tendency of paints. Certain properties of silicone fluid are particularly important in imparting defoaming characteristics to the paint. These properties include insolubility in water, low chemical reactiveness or high chemical inertness, low surface tension, and high thermal stability. All of these are of sheer importance in defoaming effect. Note that pure silicone oils have relatively lower defoaming abilities than their synthetic derivatives.

  • Reduce the Convection effect

Silicone oil fairly reduces the convection effect when the paint is drying up. The same features help the paints to give a hammer tone finish to the surface as it doesn’t let the convection effect take place.

All of the above features make silicone oil a preferred choice for being used in paints as an additive.

2. SILICONE OIL, THE BEST LUBRICANT

Silicone oils or silicone fluid have proved to be an excellent lubricator for rubber and polymer surfaces and this ability to work as a lubrication agent is due to multiple characteristics of silicone oil which include low friction coefficient, stable viscosity over a variety of temperatures whether low or high. Silicone fluids are much more resistant to chemical decay oxidation, both of these properties allow the silicone oil to add corrosion protection to metal provinces.

Silicone fluid is not a good lubricant where there is steel-to-steel friction but has proven other ways for some other metals. Silicone oils were previously used to cool clutch fan assemblies in cars and other motor-operated vehicles.

3. SILICONE OIL INDUSTRIAL RELEASING AGENT

Releasing agents are substances that are applied to the molds to prevent the substances from sticking to the mold. Silicone oil is known to be one of the magnificent releasing agents. The main property which makes silicone oil a good releasing agent is low surface tension and thermal stability which allows it to spread perfectly over an irregular surface.  Silicone release agents in multiple industries, such as the food processing industry, tire manufacturing industry and die casting industry.

4. SILICONE OIL IN CAR POLISHING

Silicone oil has found its position in the automotive industry as a principal component in car polishes. Silicone oils offer shine and protection to the paint with added benefits of anti-corrosive actions. As silicone oil spreads evenly on the surface and it is transparent, it gives the perfect finish to uneven surfaces. The rubbery characteristic of silicone oil also provides an extra layer of transparent covering which protects the surface of the paint from normal polishes. Silicone oil not only covers the color of the car but can also cover the interior surfaces and even glass.

Silicone oil for car polishing

 

5. COSMETIC USAGE OF SILICONE OIL

Silicone oil is often used in cosmetics, primarily because of its low surface tension. Silicone oil helps the cosmetics to spread evenly onto the skin. Silicone oil in cosmetics locks the moisture coming out of the skin and prevents skin from getting dry and gives a twinkling look that shines on every angle. Lipsticks have silicone oils combined with phenyl group which gives a higher refractive index and helps the glossy appearance of lipstick on lips. Sunscreen lotions also have silicone oil as a primary component as the silicone oil removes stickiness and reduces the amount of oil coming out of the skin.

silicone oil used in cosmetic products

6. SILICONE OIL IN SILICONE SEALANT

Silicone oil is one of the best sealants, containing angle component silicone. In the utility of silicone sealant, thinking about the construction, regularly want to regulate the sealant viscosity, decrease the viscosity of the adhesive, enhance the development drift and the lubrication of the adherents, and consequently the desire of dimethyl silicone oil as a plasticizer. At the identical time, being part of the plasticized agent can cure adhesive complete overall performance improvement, enhance adhesive joints of excessive influence resistance, anti-fatigue overall performance, etc. On the other hand, the addition of plasticizers will affect the different residences of silicone sealant. The tensile electricity of the silica gel decreases step by step with the make bigger quantity of the plasticizer, and the elongation at ruin is increasing.


 7. HYDRAULIC OIL IN AIRCRAFT

Silicone hydraulics has been used in the aircraft industry for a long time and there are multiple advantages of using silicone hydraulic oil. Its high resistance to oxidation and great thermal stability leads to increased life of silicone hydraulics oil and require longer changing intervals making it cost-effective. High anti-wear properties and greater strength of film provided by silicone oil led to the protection of parts of the engine. Moreover, aircraft faces a variety of temperature going into the different layers of the sky and silicone oil can bear low temperatures like -50°C and higher temperatures of 250°C.

silicone oil used for aircraft engines

8. SILICONE EMULSION

When silicone oil is added to an aqueous environment, it results in the production of silicone emulsions. Silicone emulsification significantly reduces the viscosity, and this is sometimes required. The physical properties of silicone emulsion change abruptly after polymerization. Particularly if the viscosity change is needed, polymerization is a great idea. Silicone emulsions don’t have any health-related issue as it is less viscous and generally more aqueous. Silicone emulsions are widely used in the cosmetic industry and are now being used as release agents in the food processing industry to avoid stickiness to molds.

 

9. BREWING INDUSTRY AND SILICONE OIL

Silicone oil is being used in breweries for improving the quality of the beer particularly due to defoaming properties of the silicone oil. The silicone oil which is used in the brewing industry is known as food grade version of silicone oil. It is used in all three key processes of making a beer which are distillation, brewing, and fermentation of the beer.

Silicone oil used in beer industries

10. USAGE IN THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY

Silicone oil is an integral part of the textile industry, and it is so much important that some textile owners have started their production of silicone oil. Silicone oil addition to the textile manufacturing process brings in all the qualities needed in a perfect fabric such as a perfectly smooth and soft finish, and waterproofed material. Silicone oil adds a bunch of other characteristics to textile production like flame avoidance, antistatic performance, and color-fixing properties. When silicone oil is added to the dye in the dyeing process, the result is a cool finish. Silicone fluids are also known for increasing the storage time for textiles and also there is the benefit of sharp color appearance.

Silicone oil for textile industry


11. SILICONE OIL AS DEFOAMER

Silicone oil is often used as a defoamer particularly due to the small surface tension offered by it. Other features of defoamers or ant0foaming silicone oil include readily emulsification ability, not reactive at all, increased thermal stability compared to other defoamers, great ability to remove or vanish the foam, and high pH stability (can operate over a wide range of pH). Silicone oil defoamers can be stored for over 12 months if the temperature is kept below 45 Centigrade. Silicone defoamers are used in the oil and gas industry because silicone oil defoamers provide excellent benefits over organic substances. The quantity of silicone oil defoamers needed to achieve a certain defoaming effect is much lower than substances that need much more of it. Silicone oils are often used in little amounts in restaurants for defoaming and anti-stick properties. In such situations, silicone oil is combined with cooking oil for deep frying. Silicone oil should not replace cooking oil entirely as this can become lethal, and it is a very notable health hazard associated with always remembering to use food-grade silicone oil.

12. MEDICAL USES OF SILICONE OIL

Silicone oil has been famously known for its medical importance, although we have discussed in detail how silicone oil is medically used in ophthalmic surgery.

 

medical uses for silicone oil

Let’s have a brief overview again of some of the uses:

  • Ophthalmic Surgery: Silicone fluid tamponades have been used as a replacement for vitreous humor in the posterior chamber of the eye when there is retinal detachment due to several reasons. Silicone fluid when injected into the eye prevent aqueous humor to reach the retina and allows the retina to heal itself. Silicone oil is left in the eye for an extended period of about 3 months or in some cases can be left permanently. Several properties of silicone oil such as viscosity, low friction coefficient, and ability to resist sheer stress make it a perfect candidate for this application.
  •  Drug Delivery System: Recently trials have been conducted in which silicone oil-filled eyes have been shown to uptake more drugs than the normal eye and this pharmacokinetics may significantly improve the use of silicone oil as a drug delivery system for deep eye structures.
  • Medical Instruments Lubrication: Microbe infestations of medical instruments have been a major problem in surgical settings. Nitric Oxide has been known to be incredibly effective against microbes, bacteria in particular. When applied on the surface of medical instruments, silicone oils create a physical barrier between the microbe-infested environment and the tools. A new combination of nitric oxide-releasing silicone oils has been prepared for utilizing both properties of nitric oxide for antibacterial effects and the physical barrier and lubricating effects of silicone oil.
  • Anti-Flatulence Drugs: Silicone oil is used as a component for making drugs that reduce flatulence and it often comes in handy for such situations. Such drugs absorb gas formed inside the intestines.
  • Anti-Dermatitis Drugs: Certain silicone oil-based ointment preparations have been made for providing comfort to dermatitis patients having a burning sensation as silicone oils hold water and keep a check on the skin from getting dry. Silicone oils have also shown some anti-coagulation effects.

WHERE TO BUY SILICONE OIL?

Silicone oil is not a rare entity as it can be found online and in stores all over the U.S. and the same is for other countries, but the problem arises where to buy it in bulk for industrial use. The answer is pretty simple, the country where it produced most abundantly and yes, you guessed it right, Its China. China produces more than half of the silicone oil produced in the world and this is the best place to get your hands on the best quality silicone oil while paying an absolutely rare cost.

 

where to buy silicone oil

Now you might be thinking, why not buy it locally, the answer is pretty simple. High labor costs and pretty denting tasks to produce silicone oil make it pretty expensive and local companies sometimes are not capable of large-scale production.

The next question that might be coming to your mind is where to find these Chinese silicone oil companies. Again, the answer is in your hand. Alibaba might provide you with a lot of companies to buy silicone oil from, but the problem is some of these apparent sellers on Alibaba may not be manufacturers rather they are middle people trying to charge you more than the actual costs and an inexperience buyer may end getting fraud so the best choice to go around looking for silicone oil is Manufacturer companies’ websites.

HENG YI TEK is one of the suppliers of silicone fluids in China and provides its customers with the best quality with authority and truthfulness.

We provide a variety of silicone oil and related products; you can check by clicking down below on the list:

● SILICONE OIL SILICONE FLUID HY201

● VOLATILE SILICONE OIL HY-101, 2 CST DIMETHYL SILICONE OIL

● SILICONE DEFOAMER HY-8208

● SILICONE DEFOAMER AGENT HY8201

● SILICONE LEVELING AGENT HY1284

 

 

You can contact Heng Yi Tek for quotes and further details through email, WhatsApp, or phone number. Our sales will get in touch with you about our products and delivery time-related information.

silicone coating

Where and How Silicone can be used?

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Silicone is one element that is very abundant and is top second on Earth, which is 25.8% on the earth’s surface. Most people know the function of metal silicone. Silicon semiconductor materials have boosted the development of the modern electronic industry. In addition, silicate-based inorganic silicon compounds are widely existing in nature, which is very convenient to use. Over thousands of years, people use silicone-related materials to produce cement, glass, ceramics, and other products.

Inorganic silicone compounds have been applied very early to produce products such as glass and ceramics. But organic silicone compounds do not exist in nature. It is mainly by synthesis and was synthesized around 50 years ago. Since industrialization in the 1940s, organic silicone compounds have developed rapidly.

Organic silicon, also known as silicone or siloxane, is a siloxane organic polymer cross-linked from silicon and oxygen. It has good characteristics with excellent heat resistance, cold resistance, oxidation resistance, and electrical insulation, which are not available from other general organic polymers. Among the organic silicon compounds, Poly siloxane has wide applications with its special structural characteristics.

 

Silicone materials are mainly divided into silicone oil (Dimethicone/PDMS/ Dimethyl Silicone Fluid, silicone defoamer, silicone leveling agent, polyether-modified silicone oil), silicone rubber, silicone resin, and silane coupling agent, etc. And there are various silicone material-related products. For example, Dow Corning has more than 4000 kinds of types of silicone materials.  If converted into Poly siloxane, the total global consumption of various silicone products is about 650,000 tons, which accounts for 0.65% of the global total output of different synthetic resin products. In addition, the sales amount of silicone products is as high as $6.5 billion, which accounts for 7% of the global total sales amount of different synthetic resin products.

Silicone can be widely used in the production of silicone fluid, agriculture silicone adjuvant, advanced lubricants, adhesives, dielectric oil, adhesives, paint, anti-foaming agents, gasket, seals as well as spare parts for rockets and missiles. In recent years, silicone material has been applied gradually from military or national defense to people’s daily life. Products for daily application include conductive buttons for computers, mobile phones, and electrical keyboards; contact lenses, swimming glasses, and swimming caps; nipple; silicone sealants for curtainwalls; finishing agent for high-end leather or fabric; silicone oil for shampoo. Silicone material has become a necessary part of people’s daily life. It also becomes a new chemical material with development on its rise.

 

silicone coating

With the prospects of silicone material, many developed countries put silicone materials as one of the most important new materials for the key development of the new century. Organic silicon is new material itself, meanwhile, it is also the new material foundation for the development of related industrial areas. Given the changing nature of organic silicon material and with the characteristics of small volume wide application, it is reputed as the catalyst for scientific and technological development. In the silicone industry, only a few upstream enterprises are on a large scale and most of them are small and medium-sized private enterprises engaged in the production of consumer products and additives.

Main silicone products and their applications

Silicone materials are mainly grouped into four categories: silicone oil with its secondary processing products, silicone rubber, silicone resin, and silane coupling agent. It is known as industrial MSG as silicone products have the properties of electrical insulation, corrosion resistance, radiation resistance, flame resistance, high and low-temperature resistance as well as physiological inertia. They are widely applied in building materials, electronic and electrical products, light industry, textile, plastics, rubber, machinery, transportation, medical and other industries. At present, the global annual production capacity of silicone products has reached more than 1.2 million tons. There are around 5,000 to 10,000 products, and the total market sales can reach US $7 billion.

Among the more than 10,000 kinds of silicone products can be roughly divided into three categories: raw materials, intermediates, and products. Silicone monomer refers to organic silicon polymer monomers synthesized by organic chlorosilane, such as raw materials like benzene chlorosilane, methyl chlorosilane, vinyl dichlorosilane, and some other materials.

Organic silicon intermediates refer to line-type or ring-type siloxane oligomers, such as octamethyl cyclotetra siloxane (D4), hexamethyldisilane (MM), dimethyl cyclosilane mixture (DMC), etc. Silicone products are the products produced by the polymerization reaction with add of inorganic fillers or modified additives. It mainly includes silicone rubber (high-temperature vulcanized silicone rubber and room-temperature vulcanized silicone rubber), silicone oil and its secondary processing products, silicone resin, and silane coupling agent. And through the sulfur molding process, silicone rubber can be made into conductive keys, seal gaskets, swimming caps, and many other consumer products.

Silicone monomer

Although there are many varieties of silicone products, its starting raw materials for production are limited to a few organic silicon monomers. The top amount is trimethylchlorosilane, followed by phenyl chlorosilane. In addition, trimethylchlorosilane, ethyl and propyl chlorosilane, vinyl chlorosilane, etc., are also necessary raw materials in the production of silicone products.

The production of silicon monomers is not complicated. The main raw material for silicon monomer is silicon block, methanol, and hydrogen chloride. At present, methyl hydrochloride monomer is synthesized in a boiling bed reactor. Silicon powder and chloromethane are reacted under a catalyst at a high temperature which makes a methyl hydrochloride mixture. And through efficient fractionation, the target fraction is obtained. Silicone monomers are made by hydrolysis, lysis, and condensation to get different products. With silicon monomer as the raw material and using different polymerization means and processes, different silicone products can be produced by adding various fillers and additives. The basic raw materials for the production of silicone oil, silicone rubber, silicone resin, and silane coupling agent are different kinds of organic silicon monomers. From these basic silicone monomers, thousands of organic silicon products can be produced. Organic silicon monomers mainly include methyl chlorosilane (methyl-monomer), phenyl chlorosilane (benzene-monomer), methyl vinyl chlorosilane, vinyl trichlorosilane, ethyl trichlorosilane, propyl trichlorosilane, γ-chloropropyl trichlorosilane, and fluor silane monomer. Among them, methyl chlorosilane accounts for the top amount, which is 90% of the total monomer, followed by phenyl chlorosilane.

Organo chlorosilane (methyl chlorosilane, phenyl chlorosilane, vinyl chlorosilane) is the basis of the whole silicone industry, and methyl chlorosilane is the pillar in the organic silicone industry. Most of the silicone polymers are Poly dimethyl siloxane made from trimethylchlorosilane. After adding other groups such as phenyl, vinyl, chlorophenyl, fluoroalkyl, etc., the product can meet special needs. The production process of methyl chlorosilane is very long and difficult for production technicians. This industry is technology-intensive and capital-intensive. Therefore, the basic manufacturing site of the major foreign companies is on a large scale and under centralized construction.  While the manufacturing of the downstream product is distributed as per their use and market conditions.

The key to the development of any polymer material is monomer technology development. The feature of the silicone industry is that the monomer production is concentrated, and the further process of silicone products are in different places. Therefore, the production of monomers plays an important role in the silicone industry. And the level of monomer production is a direct reflection of the development of the silicone industry. 

Silicone intermediates

Organic silicon monomers can be made into different silicone intermediates by hydrolysis (or lysis) and lysis. Silicone intermediates are the direct raw material to form silicone rubber, silicone oil, and silicone resin. Silicone intermediates include hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane(D3), octa-ethyl cyclic tetrasiloxane (D4), hexamethyldisilane (MM), dimethyl cyclosiloxane mixture (DMC), and other linear or cyclic dioxide series.

 Silicone rubber

Silicone rubber is one of the important products among silicone polymers. Among all rubber, silicone rubber can work under a wide temperature range, from -100℃~350℃. It is excellent in high and low-temperature resistance. According to its ionization mechanism, silicone rubber has three categories: organic peroxide-induced free radical crosslinking type (High temperature vulcanized silicone), condensation reaction type (Room temperature vulcanized silicone), and addition reaction type. High-temperature vulcanized silicone rubber (HTV): thermal vulcanized silicone rubber is also called high-temperature vulcanized silicone rubber. All the direct chain siloxane with molecular weight between 500,000-800,000 is grouped as high-temperature vulcanized rubber. Usually, gum can be made with octa ethyl cyclo tetrasiloxane (D4) as the main raw material and get polymerized under the catalysis of acid or alkali. Then with oxides as a crosslinking agent and combined with different additives (such as reinforcing filler, thermal stabilizer, structural control agent, etc.), it can be made into homogeneous rubber additives. Various rubber products can be vulcanized by molding, extrusion or calendaring, etc.,

Room temperature vulcanized silicone rubber (RTV) and addition reaction silicone rubber (LSR). Room temperature vulcanized silicone rubber refers to the one which uses low molecular weight active Poly Organo siloxane as the base material and can be formed with the crosslinker and catalyst at room temperature.

Addition reaction silicone rubber refers to the silicone rubber which is made under the addition reaction with the platinum compound as catalyst. It has no by-products during the reaction. Usually, it is composed by vinyl terminated polydimethylsiloxane, silicone resin, low molecular weight polymethyl hydro siloxane, a platinum catalyst, and reaction inhibitor, etc., It is also known as liquid silicone rubber or LSR. Usually, additional reactive silicone rubber is also vulcanized at room temperature (medium temperature), so it is also classified as room temperature sulfide silicone rubber. The above two of these are referred to as room-temperature vulcanized silicone rubber.

 

Room-temperature vulcanized silicone rubber has a low molecular weight (from 10,000 to 80,000), and it is a viscous liquid. As per different package forms, it can be divided into single-component RTV silicone rubber and two-component RTV silicone rubber. Single-component RTV silicone rubber mixes the raw rubber evenly with filler, crosslinker, or catalyst in anhydrous conditions. And it will react with the moisture in the atmosphere after opening. While two-component RTV silicone rubber usually puts the raw rubber and crosslinker agent or catalyst in separate packages. They will link together when mixed in a certain ratio. Its reaction is not related to moisture.

Silicone Oil or Silicone Fluid

silicone oil is a kind of Poly siloxane liquid oil with different viscosity. It is not toxic, not corrosive, has no smell, and is not easy to burn. According to the chemical structure, silicone oil can be divided into methyl silicone oil, phenyl silicone oil, ethyl silicone oil, methyl hydrogen silicone oil, methyl chlorophenyl silicone oil, methyl phenyl silicone oil, methyl ethoxy silicone oil, and methyl trifluoro propane, etc., Among them, methyl silicone oil is the top item. By changing the polymerization degree of Poly siloxane and the type of organic group, or making Poly siloxane polymerized with other organic compounds, silicone oil with different properties can be made, such as waterproofing, anti-adhesion, demolding or defoaming. Silicone oil can also be grouped into linear silicone oil and modified silicone oil.

Silicone oil has many special properties. Its features include low viscosity-temperature coefficient, antioxidant resistance, good resistance to high and low temperature, high flash point, excellent insulation, low volatility, low surface tension, no corrosion to the metal, non-toxic, etc., With these properties, silicone oil has excellent effects in different applications. Among all kinds of silicone oils, methyl silicone oil is the most widely applied and is the most important type followed by methyl phenyl silicone oil. Different functional silicone oils and modified silicone oils are mainly used for special purposes.

 

silicone potting

Silicone resin

Silicone resin is a semi-inorganic polymer with silicon-oxygen-silicon as the main chain and with silicon atoms cross-linked with organic groups. It emerged along with the silicone monomer produced by the silicone monomer. Its production is a half year ahead of silicone oil and silicone rubber.

Silicone resin has outstanding weather resistance, which is better than any other organic resin. Even under strong ultraviolet irradiation, silicone resin still has good yellowing resistance. Silicone also has superior dielectric properties. The property can remain stable in a wide range of temperatures, humidity, and frequency. In addition, it also has good oxidation resistance, irradiation resistance, smoke resistance, waterproof, mildew prevention, and other characteristics.

 

Silane coupling agent

The general formula of the silane coupling agent can be Y-R-SiX3. X and Y are two active groups with different reaction characteristics. X is easy to bind strongly with clay, glass, silica, metal, and metal oxides, while Y is easy to bind with resin and rubber in organic material. With both functional groups that can have a good reaction with organic and inorganic material, a silane coupling agent can bond organic and inorganic material together to reach satisfactory bonding. According to the number of hydrolyzed groups (X groups) connected to silicon atoms, the silane coupling agents can be divided into two groups: trifunctional and difunctional types. In recent years, the production of silane coupling agents is controlled by several giant companies. To form a monopoly, every company has named its product types, and for the same product, there are various names and types on the market. Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) is the world’s largest silane coupling agent manufacturer and has the largest number of product varieties. Silane coupling agent was first developed as a glass fiber treatment agent for glass fiber-reinforced plastics. The silane coupling agent has improved the adhesion between the glass fiber and the resin, thus the mechanical properties of the reinforced plastics are significantly improved. With the rapid development of composites, silane coupling agent also develops rapidly both in variety and output. In recent years, silane coupling agent has adopted some specific functional groups and this can improve the surface properties of materials, which get new properties such as antimildew, antistatic, anticoagulation, and physiological inert. This has become a new application for silane coupling agents. Along with the new development, silane coupling agents become an important branch of organic silicone.

Development history of silicone

All compounds containing Si-C bonds are generally called organic silicon compounds. Those that connect organic groups like oxygen, sulfur, and nitrogen to silicon atoms are also regarded as organic silicon compounds. Among them, the Poly siloxane composed of silicone oxygen bond (-Si-0-Si-) accounts for the top amount in silicone compounds. It is the most studied and widely applied type in silicone compounds, which is more than 90% of the total. Silicone material has both properties of organic materials and inorganic materials. It has many good properties such as high and low-temperature resistance, ozone resistance, electrical insulation, radiation resistance, flame retardant, water resistance, non-toxic and physiological inertia, and other excellent characteristics. The silicone material is widely applied in electrical, electronics, construction, chemical, textile, medical and other industries. The main functions of silicone include sealing, adhesion, encapsulation, lubrication, coating, lamination, surface activity, releasing, anti-foaming, crosslinking, waterproofing, penetrating, insertion and filling, etc. With the continuous development of the quantity and varieties of silicone material, it has become one of the most important materials in the new chemical material field. Many varieties of silicone are unable to be replaced by other chemicals.

 

silicone factory

Different phases of silicone chemistry

Beginning period: In 1863, French scientists Fiddle and Kraft heated silicon tetrachloride and zinc diethyl to 160℃ in a sealing tube and synthesized the first silicone compound, which is tetraethyl silane with Si-C bonds. Since then, much more tetraethyl silane derivatives have been synthesized. The forty years from 1863 to 1903 was the founding period of silicone chemistry, which was also referred to as the first phase

 

Growing period: From 1904 to 1937, there are many simple silicone compounds were synthesized. Meanwhile, some ring and linear Poly siloxane (with-Si-0-Si-bonds as the backbone). From the theoretical aspect, the synthesis of asymmetric silicon atomic compounds has been started, which created circumstances for the study of silicone photoactive isoforms. These 30 years were referred to as the growing period of silicone chemistry, which is also called the second phase.

Development period: Chemist Hyde from Corning as well as Patnode and Rojo from General Electronics realized that silicone polymer would have a good future, and they have actively improved the synthesis of silicone monomer. This helped the industrialization of silicone. In particular, Rojo invented the direct synthesis method for methyl chlorosilane in 1941. This was a revolution in the production of silicone and was a good foundation for the large-scale production of silicone compounds. In the 1940s, when some of the major countries realized industrialization, the equilibrium reaction methods of Poly organic siloxane were invented. And a complete system of industrial technologies was established. Different types of silicone oil, silicone rubber, silicone resin, and silane coupling agent with excellent performance have emerged. The development of the silicone industry was accelerated. The period from 1938 to1965 was called the third phase.

Boom period: Since 1966, further, consolidating, developing, improving, and utilizing the existing achievements, silicone was also developing in the new field. Some compounds which were impossible to make can also be synthesized. One of the groups with the fastest development is silicon —— metal bonding compounds. Especially chemical products formed by silicon and transition elements, and this has more practical value. And silicone chemistry has yielded fruitful results. So, the period from 1966 has been called the fourth phase.

 

The development of science has promoted the development of production and construction. And the production in turn has new requirements for scientific research. In many industries, thermal resistance is needed. But normal organic polymers cannot meet the demands. Natural silicate is long known but its -Si-0-Si- bond is fragile. Therefore, chemists introduced silicon atoms with an organic group, which can make them a linear structure or low-degree crosslinked polymer. Thus, the silicone material can form flexible or elastic material, and the application would be further enlarged. The study on Organo Poly siloxane also started. Chemist Hyde from Corning Glass first combined silicone and polymer chemistry and gained experience in silicone polymerization. Under his guidance, silicone resin was produced for electronic insulated glass cloth. From 1938 and 1941, Hyde and his collaborators developed many more Poly organic siloxane products. Meanwhile, Dow Chemical also started the study and production of Poly organic siloxane. In 1942, a dimethyl silicone oil and toluene silicone pilot plant was established.

In 1943, Dow combined with Corning glass and established the world-famous Dow-Corning Chemical. They built the synthetic Poly siloxane factory in Midland. And soon they developed DC4 ignition sealing material, which was applied on aerial aircraft in World War II. Then Dow Corning Chemical gradually became one of the world’s largest professional manufacturers of silicone products.

In the past 20 years, the application of silicone technology has achieved a brilliant level. Room temperature vulcanized silicone rubber and silane coupling agents got comprehensive development. Silicone polymer for biological and medical use also emerged. Now, many more silicone compounds were invented for a wide application. Many impossible things can be realized now due to the development of silicone material

 

From an annual output of 10,000 tons in 1997 to about 850,000 tons per year in 2015, methyl chlorosilane has a rapid development, which is top among all the monomers. In the future, with methyl chlorosilane production capacity increasing, the organic silicon industry will have further development in technology, with both capacity and quality getting onto a new level.