Silicone rubber and silicone oil, with their unique properties, have widely penetrated into various fields and become an important force driving the development of modern society.

（一）Intimate Companions in Daily Life

In our daily lives, the applications of silicone rubber and silicone oil can be seen everywhere, bringing a lot of convenience and comfortable experiences to our lives. Silicone kitchen utensils in the kitchen, such as silicone spatulas, silicone molds, silicone heat-insulating gloves, etc., make use of the high-temperature resistance, non-toxic and odorless, and non-stick properties of silicone rubber. Silicone spatulas will not scratch the bottom of the pot during cooking, can withstand high temperatures, and will not release harmful substances; silicone molds can be used to make various beautifully shaped pastries, candies, and other foods, which are easy to demold and clean; silicone heat-insulating gloves can effectively protect the hands from high-temperature burns, making the cooking process safer. In personal care products, silicone oil is a common ingredient in shampoos, conditioners, body lotions, sunscreen creams, and other products. In shampoos, silicone oil can repair damaged hair quality and make the hair smooth and shiny; in body lotions, silicone oil can form a light and breathable protective film on the skin surface to maintain skin moisture and keep the skin hydrated for a long time; in sunscreen creams, silicone oil helps improve the evenness of application and water resistance of the product and enhance the sun protection effect. In addition, many of the keys on the mobile phones and computer keyboards we use daily are also made of silicone rubber. Its good elasticity and durability can withstand frequent pressing operations, providing users with a comfortable input experience.

（二）Key Support in the Industrial Field

In the broad stage of industrial production, silicone rubber and silicone oil play indispensable important roles. In the automotive manufacturing industry, silicone rubber is widely used in automotive engine seals, gaskets, hoses, shock-absorbing pads, and other components. The engine generates high temperature, high pressure, and various complex chemical media during operation. Silicone rubber components can maintain stable performance in such harsh environments, effectively preventing the leakage of engine oil, coolant, exhaust gas, etc., ensuring the normal operation of the engine, and at the same time playing the role of shock absorption and noise reduction, improving the comfort and reliability of the vehicle. Silicone oil plays a key role in the shock absorption system of automobiles. As the damping fluid in shock absorbers, silicone oil can effectively absorb and relieve the vibrations and impacts generated during vehicle driving through its viscous characteristics, making the vehicle driving smoother and more comfortable, and at the same time protecting the vehicle's suspension system and other components and prolonging their service lives. In the construction industry, silicone rubber is an important sealing material. The sealing of doors and windows, curtain walls, expansion joints, etc., of buildings is inseparable from the application of silicone rubber sealants. Silicone rubber sealants have excellent weather resistance, aging resistance, and waterproof sealing performance, can be used outdoors for a long time without failure, effectively prevent the intrusion of rainwater, wind, sand, dust, etc., and can also adapt to the expansion and contraction deformation of buildings caused by temperature changes, foundation settlement, etc., to ensure the overall performance and beauty of the building. Silicone oil is also used in the construction field, such as as a concrete release agent. It can form an isolation film on the concrete surface, making the demolding of concrete products smoother, reducing the adhesion between the concrete and the mold, and improving the production efficiency and the surface quality of the concrete products. In the electronics industry, silicone rubber and silicone oil play a vital role. Silicone rubber is used for the packaging, insulation, and protection of electronic components, which can protect the electronic components from the external environment, such as moisture, dust, vibration, etc., and improve the reliability and stability of electronic products. For example, in electronic products such as mobile phones and tablet computers, silicone rubber sealing rings can prevent moisture and dust from entering the interior of the equipment and protect the delicate electronic components. Silicone oil is mainly used as a heat dissipation medium and lubricant in the electronics industry. In the heat dissipation system of electronic equipment, silicone oil can quickly conduct the heat generated by electronic components to ensure that the equipment operates within a normal temperature range and avoid performance degradation or damage due to overheating. In the mechanical transmission components of some precision electronic instruments, using silicone oil as a lubricant can reduce the friction between components and improve the precision and service life of the instruments.

（三）Life Guardians in the Medical and Health Field

In the medical and health field, silicone rubber and silicone oil have made great contributions to human health and well-being with their excellent biocompatibility and safety. Silicone rubber occupies an important position in the manufacture of artificial organs and medical devices. As mentioned earlier, large artificial organs such as artificial heart valves, artificial joints, and artificial breasts, as well as medical devices such as medical catheters, syringe pistons, breathing masks, soundproof earplugs, and dental impression materials, are mostly made of silicone rubber materials. Silicone rubber can live in harmony with human tissues, reduce the occurrence of rejection reactions, and at the same time have good physical properties to meet the various requirements of medical devices during use, such as flexibility, strength, sealing performance, etc., providing a strong guarantee for the smooth progress of medical operations and the recovery of patients. Silicone oil also has unique applications in the medical field. In addition to being used for retinal reattachment in ophthalmic surgeries, silicone oil can also be used as a medical defoamer. During some gastrointestinal examinations or surgeries, bubbles in the gastrointestinal tract may affect the examination results or surgical operations. Using silicone oil as a defoamer can quickly eliminate the bubbles and improve the accuracy of the examination and the success rate of the surgery. In addition, silicone oil can also be used to prepare some external drug preparations, such as ointments and creams. It can improve the application performance and skin permeability of the drugs and enhance the curative effect of the drugs.

With the continuous progress of science and technology, the application prospects of silicone rubber and silicone oil will be broader. In the new energy field, they are expected to play important roles in solar cells, lithium batteries, hydrogen fuel cells, etc., helping the development of the new energy industry. In the environmental protection field, the recyclability and low pollution characteristics of organosilicon materials make them have great potential in sustainable development, such as being used to develop environmentally friendly coatings and degradable plastic additives. In emerging technology fields such as smart wearable devices, virtual reality/augmented reality technology, and 3D printing, silicone rubber and silicone oil will also rely on their unique properties to provide strong support for product innovation and performance improvement, bringing more surprises and changes to our future lives.


Low compression set fumed silicone rubber