In the bright starry sky of materials science, silicone rubber and silicone oil are like two unique stars, emitting charming brilliance. Both belonging to the organosilicon materials family, they have profoundly transformed our lives and industrial development with their excellent properties and wide-ranging applications.

Silicone Rubber: A Legend in the Elastic World

The birth of silicone rubber is full of legend. Dating back to the early 20th century, scientists accidentally discovered materials with special elasticity while exploring organosilicon compounds. Through continuous optimization and improvement, silicone rubber gradually emerged onto the historical stage. Its molecular structure is truly  (exquisite), with a backbone interwoven by silicon-oxygen bonds (Si-O), like a solid skeleton, endowing silicone rubber with excellent stability. The organic groups attached to the side chains add flexibility to the molecules, making the elasticity of silicone rubber far exceed that of ordinary rubber.

（一）Superior Performance, Diverse Applications

1. High and Low Temperature Resistance: Adapting to Extreme Environments

Silicone rubber can maintain good performance within a very wide temperature range. In high-temperature environments, while ordinary rubber may lose elasticity, deform, or even melt due to broken molecular chains, silicone rubber can withstand temperatures of 200°C or higher thanks to the high bond energy of silicon-oxygen bonds, still maintaining stable elasticity and mechanical properties. In the sealing of high-temperature components in aircraft engines, silicone rubber seals can ensure the normal operation of the engine and prevent gas leakage under harsh working conditions of high temperature and pressure. In low-temperature environments, ordinary rubber often becomes rigid and brittle, but silicone rubber remains soft and malleable at -60°C. This characteristic makes it excel in polar scientific research equipment, outdoor supplies in cold regions, etc. For example, adding silicone rubber to the rubber tires of polar exploration vehicles can effectively improve the flexibility and grip of the tires at low temperatures.

2. Chemical Stability: Resisting Corrosion

Silicone rubber shows strong resistance to most chemical substances. Whether it is highly corrosive acid-base solutions or various organic solvents, they hardly cause obvious corrosion to it. In chemical production, which often involves handling various highly corrosive raw materials and intermediate products, pipes and reactor linings made of silicone rubber can resist the corrosion of chemical substances for a long time, ensuring the continuity and safety of the production process. At the same time, it also greatly extends the service life of equipment and reduces the maintenance costs of enterprises.

3. Biocompatibility:  (Boosting) Medical Health

Silicone rubber has excellent compatibility with human tissues, being non-toxic, odorless, and not causing immune rejection reactions in the human body. This characteristic makes it a favorite in the medical field. From large artificial organs such as artificial heart valves and artificial joints to small medical devices such as medical catheters, syringe pistons, and contact lenses, silicone rubber is everywhere. It can not only function stably in the human body for a long time but also minimize interference with the human physiological environment, providing a strong guarantee for the health and quality of life of patients.

4. Excellent Electrical Insulation: Guarding Electrical Safety

Silicone rubber is an excellent electrical insulation material. Its insulation performance remains highly stable over a wide range of temperatures and frequencies. In the electronics and electrical industry, silicone rubber is widely used in the insulation layers of wires and cables, the packaging of electronic components, and the sealing of electrical equipment. It can effectively prevent current leakage and electrical accidents, and at the same time protect electronic components from external environmental factors (such as moisture, dust, etc.), ensuring the stable operation and service life of electronic equipment. For example, using silicone rubber materials in the insulators of high-voltage transmission lines can significantly improve the insulation performance and weather resistance of the insulators, ensuring the safe and reliable transmission of electricity.

（二）Fine Classification, Each with Its Own Strengths

The silicone rubber family has many members. According to vulcanization characteristics, it can be divided into heat-vulcanization type and room-temperature vulcanization type. Among heat-vulcanization silicone rubbers, methyl vinyl silicone rubber is the most widely used. It has good processing performance, can be made into various complex-shaped products through processes such as compression molding and extrusion, and has a fast vulcanization speed, high production efficiency, and stable and reliable product quality, being widely used in automotive parts, electronic and electrical accessories, and other fields. Room-temperature vulcanization silicone rubber is further divided into polycondensation reaction type and addition reaction type. Polycondensation reaction type room-temperature vulcanization silicone rubber produces small-molecule by-products during vulcanization, but it has the advantages of convenient use and no need for complex equipment, and is often used in on-site construction scenarios such as building sealing and simple potting of electronic devices. Addition reaction type room-temperature vulcanization silicone rubber produces no small molecules during vulcanization, and the vulcanized rubber has more excellent properties, such as high strength and low shrinkage, and is often used in the packaging of precision electronic devices with high performance requirements, bonding and sealing of optical instruments, and other fields.

Silicone Oil: The Flowing Magical Liquid

The discovery of silicone oil has also brought new vitality to the field of materials science. It is a general term for a class of polysiloxane compounds, presenting as a liquid with good fluidity at room temperature. The molecular structure of silicone oil is relatively free, and the interaction between molecular chains is weak, which gives it a series of unique physical and chemical properties.

（一）Unique Properties: Laying the Foundation for Applications

1. Low Surface Tension, Excellent Wettability

Silicone oil has an extremely low surface tension, which allows it to quickly spread over the surface of various materials to form a uniform and thin film. This characteristic of silicone oil is fully utilized in the cosmetics industry. Adding silicone oil to skin care products can make the products smoother to apply, evenly cover the skin surface, bring a soft and delicate touch to the skin, and at the same time form a protective film on the skin surface to help the skin lock in moisture and reduce water loss. In shampoo formulations, silicone oil can adhere to the hair surface, fill the damage of hair scales, make the hair smoother and easier to comb, reduce static electricity, and make the hair look healthier and more beautiful.

2. High Chemical Stability: The "Stabilizer" in the Chemical World

Like silicone rubber, silicone oil has strong inertness to chemical substances. It can remain stable in various chemical environments and is not easy to react with other substances. This characteristic makes silicone oil an ideal corrosion-resistant lubricant in chemical production. In some mechanical equipment that needs to operate in harsh chemical environments such as strong acids, strong alkalis, and organic solvents, using silicone oil as a lubricant can effectively reduce the friction and wear between mechanical parts, and at the same time ensure that the lubricant itself is not damaged by chemical substances, prolonging the service life of the mechanical equipment and improving production efficiency.

3. Good Electrical Insulation: The "Protector" of Electrical Equipment

Silicone oil is a high-quality electrical insulation material, and its electrical insulation performance remains stable under different temperature and humidity conditions. In the electronics industry, silicone oil is widely used in transformer oil, capacitor oil, and other fields. In transformers, silicone oil can not only play a good insulating role to prevent short circuits between windings but also effectively conduct the heat generated during the operation of the transformer to ensure that the transformer operates stably within a normal temperature range, improving the reliability and safety of the power system.

4. Physiological Inertness: The "Safe Choice" in the Food and Pharmaceutical Fields

Silicone oil has almost no effect on the human physiological system, is non-toxic and harmless, and does not cause adverse reactions such as allergies. In the food industry, silicone oil is used as a food-grade lubricant and release agent. In the food processing process, using silicone oil as a release agent can help food be smoothly released from the mold, avoid food sticking to the mold, and ensure the appearance integrity and quality of the food. At the same time, due to its physiological inertness, it does not affect the safety of the food and meets strict food hygiene standards. In the medical field, silicone oil also has certain applications. For example, in some ophthalmic surgeries, silicone oil is injected into the eyeball to help retinal reattachment. It can remain stable in the eye, play a role in supporting and pressing the retina, promote retinal repair, and does not cause adverse stimulation to the eye tissues.

（二）Rich Varieties, Meeting Diverse Needs

Silicone oil can be divided into many types according to different chemical compositions, such as methyl silicone oil, ethyl silicone oil, phenyl silicone oil, methyl hydrogen-containing silicone oil, methyl phenyl silicone oil, etc. Different types of silicone oil have different performance focuses due to differences in their structures, so they can meet the diversified needs of different fields. Methyl silicone oil is the most common type of silicone oil, with excellent chemical stability, insulation, and hydrophobic properties, and is widely used in daily chemicals, plastics, rubber, and other industries. Adding methyl silicone oil in the plastic processing process can improve the fluidity of the plastic, reduce the processing temperature, and improve the surface finish of plastic products. Polyether silicone oil has good hydrophilic, hygroscopic, and antistatic properties due to the polyether segments connected to the main chain or side chains of the silicone oil. In the textile industry, polyether silicone oil can be used as a textile auxiliary, which can give the fabric a soft and smooth hand feel and at the same time improve the antistatic performance of the fabric, reduce the static adsorption phenomenon of the fabric during processing and use, and make the fabric more comfortable to wear and the processing process smoother.


Low compression set fumed silicone rubber