Organic Groups and the Properties & Applications of Silicone Materials

The main chain of silicone is composed of silicon-oxygen (Si-O) bonds, and various organic groups such as methyl, amino, and methoxy groups can be attached to the silicon atoms. The molecular characteristics of the siloxane structure and organic groups endow silicone materials with the advantages of both organic and inorganic materials, thus giving them excellent properties including corrosion resistance, resistance to high and low temperatures, non-toxicity, hydrophobicity, and physiological inertness.

The introduction of organic groups has greatly expanded the application scenarios of silicone materials. For example, the anionic amino-modified silicone emulsion prepared by emulsion polymerization can effectively solve the problem that the performance of silicone softeners and smoothing agents fails to meet expectations in the field of textile dyeing and finishing. Adding an appropriate amount of phenyl and epoxy groups to the molecular chain of silicone rubber can significantly improve its comprehensive performance. Taking epoxy phenyl silicone rubber as an example, when the phenyl content increases from 5% to 20%, its mechanical properties will decrease significantly, while its damping properties and radiation resistance will be greatly enhanced, and the thermal decomposition temperature will also increase slightly.