Life Cannot Do Without Silicones
As an environmentally friendly material with excellent performance, silicone has already penetrated all aspects of life unconsciously, from the clothes you wear, to the food you eat, the houses you live in, to the cars you take, high-speed trains, roads you walk, cross-country crossed the bridge...
Life is inseparable from silicones, now and even more in the future!
Silicone, also known as silicone or siloxane, is an organosiloxane polymer composed of alternating main chains of silicon and oxygen.
Because its structure contains both "organic group" and "inorganic structure", it has both organic and inorganic chemical characteristics.
According to statistics, the total consumption of various silicone products in the world is converted into about 650,000 tons of polysiloxane, accounting for 0.65% of the total output of various synthetic resins in the world (100 million tons), but the sales of silicone products are as high as 65 billion US dollars, accounting for 7% of the total global synthetic resin sales (about 80 billion US dollars).
This includes silicone product materials such as silicone oil, silicone resin, and silicone rubber, and there are a wide variety of products.
About the superior performance of foamed silica gel
As one of the use forms of silicone rubber product materials, foamed silica gel is a soft and tough elastomer compound, which is divided into three types: closed-cell type, open-cell type and mixed type. It not only has the high and low temperature resistance, heat aging resistance, ultraviolet resistance and high flame retardancy of silicone rubber materials, but also has the sound absorption, shock absorption, sealing and high resilience properties of foam materials. The specific properties are as follows:
1. High and low temperature resistance
Foamed silica gel has excellent mechanical properties in high temperature (above 200°C) environments, and still has a certain degree of toughness and elasticity, and the glass transition temperature (Tg) can be as low as -70°C. In general, the working temperature of foamed silica gel is -100 ℃ to 350 ℃. It can withstand instantaneous high temperature of thousands of degrees, so it is often used in the production of high-temperature resistant and heat-resistant coatings, such as in the aviation field.
2. High flame retardancy
Compared with polyurethane foam, foamed silicone can well meet the requirements of EN45545-2 in terms of flame retardancy, its foam density is 0.08~0.15g/cm3, and its service life can reach 2~4 times that of polyurethane foam. In addition, it is also significantly superior to polyurethane foam in terms of comfort, foam density and environmental protection, so it is expected to replace traditional polyurethane foam in the aerospace, rail transit, and high-end automotive industries.
3. Electrical insulation
Foamed silica gel has good insulation properties, and after burning, the resulting silicon dioxide is still an insulating substance. In addition, foamed silica gel is not easy to scorch during arc discharge, because of its small number of carbon atoms in the structure, and its reinforcing filler, white carbon black, is suitable for high-voltage applications.
4. Physiological inertia
The surface of the foamed silica gel is hydrophobic, therefore, the physical properties decrease little in a humid environment, and the adhesion is poor, which can play a role in isolation. And it is environmentally friendly, non-toxic and tasteless, and has no harm to human health, which also creates its excellent physiological inertia. At the same time, it is also very superior in aging resistance.
About the application field of foamed silica gel
Because of these excellent performance advantages, foamed silica gel is widely used in many industries and products in daily life, such as: new energy vehicles, 5G base stations, high-speed rail aircraft, electrical appliances and other fields.
Application in new energy vehicles
As the core energy supply station of new energy vehicles, the battery is subject to multiple tests such as high and low temperature, dust, and moisture in the entire body. It can be seen how important the protection of the battery shell is to the battery. The high and low temperature resistance, waterproof and flame retardant, high air tightness and other properties of the foamed silicone material can be perfectly used as the sealing and protection material of the battery shell to protect the safe driving of the car.
Application on 5G base station
Since 5G base stations are basically located outdoors, the casing needs to withstand high temperature, severe cold, humidity and other corrosive environments for a long time, and the working environment is relatively harsh, so foamed silica gel used in the casing can have strong anti-aging, anti-ultraviolet, etc. ability
Application in high-speed rail aircraft
Foamed silica gel can be used as a floor vibration damping pad on high-speed rail aircraft to play the role of cushioning and vibration reduction. The method of use is to cut the foamed silica gel attached with the pressure-sensitive adhesive tape into strips of the required specification and size, and then paste them on the floor. Not only that, foamed silica gel can also be used as seats, backrests, etc. on high-speed rail aircraft, which can meet the stringent flame-retardant requirements, and has outstanding features such as long service life, excellent environmental protection performance, and good comfort.
Application on electrical appliances
Foamed silica gel In rice cookers, water dispensers, ovens and other household appliances that require high airtightness, foamed silica gel can be used as a gasket to seal parts. And the waterproof service life of foamed silica gel is very long, which can ensure the airtightness of electrical equipment for a long time.
This also shows that the types of products suitable for foamed silicone on electrical equipment are far more than we usually know.
Therefore, as long as you pay a little attention, you will find that many products can actually have its figure, and many products can be used on foamed silicone materials.
About foamed silicone, please check the details:
https://www.siliconefoam.net/product-extra-soft-cellular-silicone-iota-bf-1000-.html
