Silicone is derived from silicon ore ground into silica sand and then refined into silicon dioxide. It is a highly active adsorption material. Silicone is insoluble in water and any solvents, non-toxic, odorless, and has stable chemical properties. It reacts with no substances except strong alkalis and hydrofluoric acid. Silicone’s structure and properties vary depending on the manufacturing process. Its key features include high adsorption capacity, good thermal stability, chemical stability, and high mechanical strength. 

Additionally, silicone’s waterproof and insulating properties make it ideal for industrial sealing and pressing applications, ensuring product stability. In terms of temperature resistance, silicone can withstand temperatures ranging from -40°C to 230°C. Its non-toxic nature makes it especially suitable for the food industry and biomedicine. Dafeng Zhengye is a professional silicone factory specializing in custom silicone product development and OEM services. The silicone materials used meet food-grade silicone standards, and our food-grade silicone products are tested by SGS Taiwan to provide customers with expert silicone OEM services

Table of Contents

What Are the Advantages of Silicone?

  1. Wide Temperature Range


    Silicone can withstand temperatures from -40°C to 230°C, with heat resistance up to 260°C. It is safe to use in cooking and offers good elasticity and flexibility, maintaining its functionality in both ovens and refrigerators. Silicone is an ideal choice for baking tools, as it won’t expand or crack due to large temperature differences. It is highly suitable for cooking and extreme temperature environments.

  2. Safe and Non-Toxic

Silicone is made from natural minerals (silicon dioxide), which are safe and skin-friendly. It is non-toxic and free from heavy metals, making it suitable for use in microwaves, dishwashers, and products like baby bottle nipples. There is no concern about releasing toxins if damaged. This makes silicone ideal for skin-contact medical supplies and food-contact kitchenware. Food-grade silicone certified by the FDA is commonly used in baby products, feeding utensils, and more.

  1. Medical-Grade / Biocompatibility

Medical-grade silicone is a specialized material used widely in medical devices and healthcare products. It typically has excellent toughness and can withstand both high and low-temperature stresses. Silicone also possesses strong antibacterial properties, abrasion resistance, and low tissue reaction when in contact with the body, offering long-term reliable performance.

  1. Excellent Waterproofing

Silicone waterproof sealing materials provide superior sealing performance. They effectively prevent moisture and other liquids from penetrating surfaces, protecting objects from water damage and moisture. Common silicone products include seals and O-rings, all with excellent waterproof capabilities.

  1. Durability and Long Lifespan

Silicone is a durable material that can withstand high and low-temperature stresses while offering good abrasion resistance. The lifespan of silicone products varies depending on the brand and model, but most silicone items offer a minimum usage life of over 10 years.

  1. Excellent Weather Resistance

Ordinary rubber quickly degrades under the influence of ozone created by corona discharge, while silicone is unaffected by ozone. Even when exposed to prolonged UV light or other environmental factors, silicone only undergoes minimal changes, making it perfect for outdoor sealing materials.

  1. Good Electrical Performance

Silicone is an insulating material with excellent electrical resistance. It can effectively prevent the flow of electricity, protecting electronic devices from voltage damage. Anti-static silicone (ESD silicone) has strong resistance to high-voltage corona discharge and arc discharge, commonly used in high-voltage insulators, TV high-voltage caps, and electrical components.

  1. Conductivity

Silicone is naturally an insulating material. When conductive fillers (such as carbon black) are added, silicone becomes conductive, known as conductive silicone. It is used in applications such as keyboard contact points, electric heating components, anti-static parts, high-voltage cable shielding, and therapeutic conductive silicone patches.

  1. Flame Retardant

Silicone is a non-combustible material that cannot catch fire, providing protection against fire hazards. When small amounts of flame retardants are added, silicone becomes flame-resistant and self-extinguishing. Since silicone contains no organic halides, it does not produce smoke or toxic gases when burned. It is suitable for use in fire-sensitive applications.

  1. Diverse Colors

Silicone can be customized to various colors according to customer needs, including red, green, blue, purple, yellow, and transparent. These colors are achieved by adding pigments, so different brands and models of silicone may offer various color options.

Classification of Silicone Ingredients

Silicone Products Based on Properties and Composition: Inorganic Silicone and Organic Silicone

  • Organic silicone is a type of organic silicon compound. In simple terms, chemists combine silicon from quartz sand with organic macromolecules to create a “composite” new material, known as “organic silicone.” Organic silicone possesses both the characteristics of inorganic materials and the advantages of organic compounds, allowing it to handle tasks that other materials cannot. Organic silicone has many excellent properties, such as high and low-temperature resistance, weather aging resistance, electrical insulation, ozone resistance, water repellency, flame resistance, non-toxicity, corrosion resistance, and physiological inertness. Some types of organic silicone also offer oil resistance, solvent resistance, and radiation resistance. Compared to other polymer materials, the most prominent features of organic silicone products are excellent temperature resistance, dielectric properties, weather resistance, physiological inertness, and low surface tension.
    Organic silicone is further classified based on curing temperature into high-temperature vulcanizing (HTV) and room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) silicone. High-temperature vulcanizing silicone is divided into solid silicone (HTV) and liquid silicone (LSR). The solid silicone, also known as HTV, is formed using molding methods such as compression molding (hot pressing), extrusion, and calendaring. This type of silicone performs well in temperature resistance and aging resistance. Liquid silicone (LSR) has high fluidity, making it ideal for injection molding. Liquid silicone is also highly transparent, making it suitable for medical devices and baby products, which require high cleanliness standards. Room temperature vulcanizing silicone is divided into single-component RTV1 and two-component RTV2. Two-component RTV2, also known as RTV2 or AB silicone, is further classified into condensation-type RTV (moisture vulcanization) and addition-type RTV (room temperature or heat vulcanization).
  • Inorganic silicone, known as “silica micropowder,” is an amorphous product made from sodium silicate and sulfuric acid extracted from silicon soil. Inorganic silicone is formed from minerals naturally occurring in the earth and undergoes washing and processing to become granular or bead-like. Its structure resembles a sponge, made up of interconnected small pores that form a large surface area capillary adsorption system capable of absorbing and retaining moisture. Inorganic silica gel is a highly active adsorbent material, typically made by reacting sodium silicate with sulfuric acid, followed by aging, acid bubbling, and other post-treatment processes.
    Inorganic silica gel is further divided into microporous silica gel, B-type silica gel, and macroporous silica gel. Its main component is silicon dioxide, produced from the reaction of sodium silicate and sulfuric acid. It is an amorphous product, typically transparent or milky white, granular, and highly active as an adsorbent material. It is chemically stable, non-toxic, and odorless, and it does not react with any substances except strong alkalis and hydrofluoric acid. The different microporous structures of inorganic silica gel result from varying manufacturing processes. The chemical composition and physical structure give it unique characteristics, such as high adsorption performance, good thermal stability, chemical stability, and high mechanical strength, which are difficult to replicate with other similar materials.
    The chemical formula of inorganic silica gel is mSiO₂.nH₂O. This indicates that the material is an amorphous substance composed of silicon dioxide (SiO₂) and water (H₂O). The precise composition varies, as indicated by the “m” and “n” values, which represent the molar ratios of silicon dioxide and water in the material.
    Inorganic silicates can be classified into soluble silicates, including sodium silicate, potassium silicate, potassium-sodium silicate, silicate lithium, and silicate quaternary ammonium. Insoluble silicates include calcium silicate, aluminum silicate, magnesium silicate, lead silicate, aluminum-magnesium silicate, and electrical silicates. Amorphous silica includes silica sol, silica gel, fumed silica, and precipitated silica. Molecular sieves include low-silicon, medium-silicon, and high-silicon series molecular sieves. Silicon elements and their non-metallic oxides include monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, and halogenated silicon compounds.

Characteristics of Solid Silicone Rubber (High Temperature Vulcanized Silicone HTV)

Solid silicone rubber (High Temperature Vulcanized Silicone HTV), also known as heat-cured silicone rubber, is one of the most important types of organic silicone products. It refers to the process in which raw rubber is transformed into an elastomer by high-temperature vulcanization (110-180°C). The raw rubber is primarily made from high molecular weight polymethylvinylsiloxane, mixed with reinforcing agents and various additives. Therefore, this type of raw rubber is called heat-cured silicone rubber.

Solid silicone rubber (High Temperature Vulcanized Silicone HTV) possesses excellent characteristics, including high and low-temperature resistance, UV resistance, radiation resistance, weather resistance, electrical insulation, high gas permeability, biological inertness, low compression permanent deformation, and fatigue resistance:

1. High Temperature Performance

Silicone’s most notable feature is its high-temperature stability. While the strength of silicone at room temperature is only about half that of natural rubber or some synthetic rubbers, at temperatures above 200°C, silicone still maintains a certain degree of flexibility, elasticity, and surface hardness, with no significant change in mechanical properties.

2. Low Temperature Performance

The glass transition temperature of silicone is generally between -70 to -50°C, with special formulations reaching as low as -100°C, indicating excellent low-temperature performance. This is of great significance to the aerospace and aviation industries.

3. Weather Resistance

The Si-O-Si bonds in silicone are highly stable against oxygen, ozone, and UV rays. Even without any additives, silicone demonstrates excellent weather resistance.

4. Electrical Properties

Silicone has excellent insulation properties, with strong resistance to corona and arcing.

5. Physical and Mechanical Properties

At room temperature, silicone’s physical and mechanical properties are inferior to those of general-purpose rubber. However, at high temperatures (200°C) and low temperatures (-50°C), silicone performs better than general-purpose rubber.

6. Oil and Chemical Resistance

General silicone exhibits moderate resistance to oils and solvents.

7. Gas Permeability

At room temperature, silicone’s permeability to gases like air, nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide is 30-50 times higher than that of natural rubber.

8. Biological Inertness

Silicone is non-toxic, odorless, and does not adhere to human tissue. It has anti-coagulant properties and exhibits minimal reactivity with biological tissues. This makes it ideal for food-grade and medical-grade applications.

Applications of Solid Silicone Rubber (High Temperature Vulcanized Silicone HTV)

1. Electronics Industry

The electronics and electrical industries were among the first to use silicone as an insulating material, with significant demand. This is mainly because heat-cured silicone rubber offers excellent high- and low-temperature resistance, as well as outstanding electrical properties, maintaining stable performance across a wide temperature range and electrical frequency spectrum. Products made from high-temperature vulcanized silicone ensure stable, safe, and reliable performance for electronic appliances and equipment. Applications include electrical connectors, sealing and shock-absorbing components, high-temperature potentiometer seals, and more. Conductive heat-cured silicone (using conductive fillers like carbon black or metal powders) is used for connectors in electronic devices such as computers, remote systems, toys, phones, and electronic watches.

2. Automotive Industry

Silicone’s use in the automotive industry is rapidly increasing. Silicone, particularly with specific characteristics, is resistant to fuel and lubricating oil corrosion, improving the performance and durability of automotive parts and reducing maintenance costs. It is used in ignition wires, spark plug protectors, hoses for heating and radiators, muffler linings, battery terminals, and fuel pumps made from fluorosilicone. Silicone is especially useful in engine and transmission seals, gaskets, belts, protectors, covers, and O-rings that must endure high temperatures up to 175°C or even 300°C in some cases.

3. Food Processing Industry

Food-grade silicone uses new imported materials and advanced manufacturing techniques. This product features high transparency, no odor, non-yellowing, and non-frosting properties. Food-grade silicone is an addition-type silicone that can withstand high temperatures up to 230°C and remains stable when heated in sealed environments. It is commonly used for products like silicone tubes, mats, boards, and flexible tubes that come in contact with food. Silicone products are also used in coffee pots, water heaters, bread makers, sterilizers, drinking fountains, and various food molds, such as chocolate molds, candy molds, and silicone ice trays.

4. Mother and Baby Products

Silicone is an eco-friendly material used in mother and baby products, certified as food-grade. Its excellent performance ensures high stability and can withstand temperatures ranging from 40 to 230°C. The material is elastic and durable, making it resistant to deformation, aging, and damage. Many baby products are made of silicone, including pacifiers, baby bottles, bibs, teething toys, baby spoons, and lunchboxes.

5. Medical and Healthcare Field

Silicone is non-toxic, biocompatible, and has good physical mechanical properties, making it ideal for medical use. It can withstand high-temperature sterilization and has low blood coagulation, making it suitable for long-term use in the human body. Silicone is used in a wide range of medical products, including blood transfusion tubes, catheters, chest drainage tubes, cosmetic surgery materials, artificial skin, implantable materials, drug delivery systems, biosensors, and more. It is also used for making prosthetic organs, such as artificial throats, lungs, retinas, heart valves, and joints.

6. Wire and Cable Industry

Silicone is an ideal insulating material for the wire and cable industry. Heat-cured silicone rubber offers excellent high-temperature resistance, ozone resistance, weather resistance, and electrical properties. Silicone-coated cables are used in power transmission, ship cables, heating cables, ignition cables, atomic energy device cables, and aviation wires. Adding aluminum hydroxide filler can enhance the silicone’s resistance to electrical leakage, arc damage, and electrical erosion.

7. Aerospace and Aviation

Aerospace materials must withstand extreme conditions, such as temperatures from -75°C to 200°C, as well as ozone, radiation, and aging. Silicone is indispensable in the aerospace industry for its ability to handle ultra-cold conditions in space and extreme heat when re-entering the atmosphere. It is used in seals for aircraft body holes, electrical connectors, seals for switches, dust and water covers, O-rings for jet engines and hydraulic devices, oxygen masks, control membranes, hot air ducts, radar shock absorbers, and more.

8. Other Applications

Silicone films made from high-temperature vulcanized silicone offer excellent gas permeability, many times higher than that of general polymer films like polyethylene, PVC, and PTFE. This allows for the creation of various silicone films used in fresh-keeping bags for vegetables, fruits, and foods, as well as gas separation devices. Silicone is also used in making sealing components for printing machines, pressure cooker seals, and other industrial tools.

Characteristics of Liquid Silicone Rubber (LSR)

Liquid Silicone Rubber (LSR) is a tough and versatile type of silicone. It can be injection molded into almost any shape while maintaining its elasticity without tearing, such as producing O-rings or thin-walled products in various shapes. LSR can be clear and transparent, and products with unique properties such as solvent resistance, high thermal stability, or low outgassing can be made from it. LSR can also be well mixed with various additives, special fillers (such as pigments), and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) with minimal impact on the key properties like toughness and elasticity of the final vulcanized elastomer.

Liquid silicone rubber offers excellent transparency, tear strength, resilience, yellowing resistance, thermal stability, water resistance, gas permeability, heat aging resistance, and weather resistance. It also has good thermal stability, cold resistance, excellent electrical insulation properties, and does not produce toxic substances when burned. These features make silicone widely applicable in harsh environments. This is due to its innate superior thermal stability in both high and low-temperature conditions, as well as its low modulus, which provides stress relief in environments with alternating temperature changes.

Applications of Liquid Silicone Rubber (LSR)

1. Food Contact

Examples include: beverage transfer tubes, including drinking water; silicone nipples and silicone baby bottles; various components; parts, calendered sheets, calendered bands, and conveyor belts.

2. Pharmaceutical Applications

Used in liquid and soluble drug circulation tubes; medical conveyor belts, etc.

3. Medical Applications

Short-term human-contact products, such as various types of drainage tubes, catheters, dialysis tubes, medical silicone custom suction balls, medical silicone negative pressure drainage balls, medical-grade contrast agent silicone tubes, medical-grade silicone breathing tubes, medical-grade silicone balloon catheters, tear drainage silicone tubes, silicone drainage tubes, silicone nasal oxygen Y-tubes, disposable cervical dilation silicone catheters, postpartum hemostasis silicone balloons, medical anesthesia silicone masks, etc. Medical devices such as heart-lung machine pump tubes, membrane-based artificial lungs, and drug delivery systems. Used in extracorporeal circulation tubes; oxygen transfer tubes; syringe seals; breathing masks.

4. Human Implantation

Long-term implant products, such as artificial heart valves, artificial meninges, breast implants, artificial joints, hydrocephalus drainage devices, and various cosmetic surgery implants.

Characteristics of Room Temperature Vulcanizing Silicone (RTV)

Room Temperature Vulcanizing Silicone (RTV) is a new type of organic silicone elastomer that was introduced in the 1960s. The most prominent feature of this silicone is that it can cure at room temperature without the need for heating, simply by pressing, making it extremely convenient to use. As a result, it quickly became an essential component of the entire organic silicone product range. RTV silicone is typically formulated from base polymers, crosslinking agents, catalysts, fillers, and additives. The product is packaged in sealed tubes, curing by absorbing moisture from the air. No additional curing agents are required, and it can vulcanize into an elastomer upon exposure to air, making it very easy to use. RTV silicone is widely used as adhesives, sealants, protective coatings, potting compounds, and molding materials across various industries.

Types of Room Temperature Vulcanizing Silicone:

RTV silicone can be classified into single-component RTV silicone and two-component RTV silicone based on its packaging. Single-component RTV silicone is also called RTV1, meaning it contains only one component per unit. Two-component RTV silicone is also known as RTV2 or AB adhesive, where each unit consists of two components, A and B. Two-component RTV silicone can further be divided into condensation-type RTV (moisture-curing at room temperature) and addition-type RTV (curing at room temperature or with heat).

RTV silicone consists of a base rubber, crosslinking agents, catalysts, fillers, and other components. Its main applications include:

1. Construction Industry

Silicone has excellent weather resistance and workability, and as an adhesive and sealant, it has been widely used in the construction industry, surpassing other types of sealants. In recent years, low-modulus, high-elongation two-component sealants have been developed, used for large concrete prefabricated components with high joint movement and curtain wall structures. RTV silicone is also used for sealing joints in asbestos cement boards, bathroom tile seams, and bathroom fixtures. With the future decrease in rubber prices, its application range is expected to expand further, such as replacing asphalt and neoprene rubber in road joint applications.

Silicone structural adhesives are primarily used for structural or non-structural bonding between metal and glass in glass curtain walls. They can directly bond glass to metal components to form a single assembly, meeting the design requirements of fully or semi-concealed frame curtain walls. It is also used for structural bonding and sealing in insulated glass.

Neutral weather-resistant sealants:

  1. Suitable for weather sealing of various curtain wall exteriors, especially recommended for glass curtain walls, aluminum-plastic panel curtain walls, and stone dry-hanging curtain walls.
  2. Joint sealing between metal, glass, aluminum, tiles, acrylic, and coated glass.
  3. Joint sealing on surfaces such as concrete, cement, brick, stone, marble, steel, wood, anodized aluminum, and painted aluminum. In most cases, no primer is required.

2. Craft Replication

RTV-2 condensation-type molding silicone, also known as industrial-grade silicone, has excellent flowability and good workability. It is indispensable in many industries for rapid replication of products. RTV-2 condensation-type molding silicone is widely used in the replication of polyester resin (POLYSTER), epoxy resin (EPOXY), polyurethane molded products, PU foaming resin decorations and crafts, antique furniture, ceramics, craft candles, plaster crafts, European-style components, large sculptures, cultural relic replication, architectural decoration, relief furniture, imitation marble, artificial natural stones, shoe molds, lighting art, human sculptures, imitation copper crafts, model facilities, and simulated landscapes in many industries.

3. Food Processing Industry

Food-grade liquid silicone, scientifically known as two-component addition-type liquid silicone, belongs to RTV silicone and is abbreviated as RTV-2 liquid silicone. Addition-type food-grade liquid silicone is composed of two parts, component A and component B, with component B containing platinum catalysts. Platinum catalysts are environmentally friendly, non-toxic, and odorless materials that pose no harm to the human body. Addition-type food-grade liquid silicone cures at ambient temperature, and its curing speed increases with higher indoor temperatures and decreases with lower temperatures. This silicone can be used for making cake molds, cookie molds, chocolate molds, food replication molds, candy molds, silicone ice cube trays, etc. Food-grade silicone cake molds, when in contact with food and processed by heating, should not release any low molecular substances and must meet absolute environmental, non-toxic, and odorless standards.

4. Electronics Industry

RTV silicone can be used as a potting material for waterproofing, moisture-proofing, and shockproofing. It can be encapsulated, poured, dipped, coated, or bonded for moisture resistance, dustproofing, arc resistance, corrosion resistance, and shock absorption. RTV silicone can protect electronic components by potting. When combined with thermally conductive fillers, it can also be used as a heat dissipation adhesive for electrical devices.

5. Automotive Industry

With the development of vehicle electronics and electrification, RTV silicone is widely used in electronic components, electrical assemblies, windshield glass bonding, body sealing, and mirror adhesive sealants. It is used in automotive window seals, electrical connectors, gaskets, reflectors, exhaust systems, and instrument panel bonding seals. RTV silicone is also used for in-situ molded gaskets, offering wide temperature tolerance, excellent impact resistance, low compression set, good sealing properties, low cost, and simple processing.

6. Power Industry

RTV silicone is commonly used in the corrosion-resistant inner lining systems of chimneys and pipes in thermal power plants, bonding and filling glass tiles, glass-ceramic tiles, and corrosion-resistant alloy materials. It is also used in the underlying sealing of thermal power plant equipment and facilities with corrosion protection systems.

7. Aerospace and Aviation

RTV silicone is used for airtight seals on aircraft bodies, window frame seals, and for shockproofing and moisture-proofing potting materials. Rockets, spacecraft, space shuttles, satellites, and other space vehicles operate in harsh, complex, and extremely demanding environmental conditions. Therefore, the materials used must be able to withstand ultra-high and low temperatures (-75 to 200°C), ozone resistance, radiation resistance, aging resistance, and flame retardancy. Only silicone can meet these requirements.

Applications of Inorganic Silicon

The structure of inorganic silicon is very similar to a sponge, composed of interconnected small pores that create a capillary adsorption system with a large surface area, capable of adsorbing and retaining moisture. Under 100% humidity conditions, it can absorb and condense moisture equivalent to 40% of its own weight. It has a high adsorption capacity and can adsorb a variety of substances. When dilute sulfuric acid (or hydrochloric acid) is added to an aqueous solution of water glass and left to stand, it forms a gel containing water silicate, which solidifies with good thermal stability, chemical stability, and high mechanical strength.

The Application includes:

Inorganic silicon compounds are an important product series in the inorganic salt industry. They are characterized by a wide variety and a vast range of applications, from general consumer use to cutting-edge technology, such as adhesives, detergents, rubber, papermaking, plastics, coatings, ceramics, environmental protection, metallurgy casting, thermal insulation materials, catalysts, soil stabilizers, electronics, solar cells, optical fibers, and more.

Inorganic silicon is used as a desiccant, humidity regulator, and deodorant, etc. In industry, it is used as a hydrocarbon decolorizer, catalyst carrier, and pressure swing adsorbent. In fine chemicals, it serves as a separation and purification agent, beer stabilizer, paint thickener, toothpaste abrasive, and flatting agent, among others. Inorganic silica has a wide range of applications for packaging materials, suitable for drying, moisture protection, rust prevention, and can also be used as a carrier for chemicals and the dehydration and purification of organic compounds. It is primarily used as a room humidity regulator, catalyst, and carrier.

If you have any demand for silicone products, you can contact us. We are Dafeng Silicone!