When it comes to silicone, many people are confused, "I have only heard about silicon related to Silicon Valley. I know that silicon is used on computers. I really haven’t heard of silicone." When some people hear about silicone, their first reaction is like this.



It is true that silicone is not as widely known as plastics, metals and other materials, but in our lives, it is as versatile as other materials.

Today, let’s not talk about the chemical formula or technology, but just talk about the silicones in our production and life.

Military use
In other words, the exploration and research of organosilicon compounds can be traced back to the 18th century. However, the rapid development of organosilicon was due to its use as special materials for military equipment such as airplanes, rockets, and tanks in World War II. Organosilicon materials are typical semi-inorganic and semi-organic polymer materials. They have unique properties such as high and low temperature resistance, oxygen resistance, light resistance and weathering resistance. Therefore, they are widely used in the connection of aircraft structural parts, resistors, and radio electronic equipment. Surface sealing, etc.
Just saying that is not intuitive enough, let's look at an example. It is said that when Germany invaded the former Soviet Union, it was experiencing a severe winter that was once in a century. All tanks and armored equipment in the Soviet Union and Germany became a pile of scrap iron due to the freezing of oil and gas required for operation. In the face of this harsh situation, Soviet scientists discovered that a substance mixed with oil can prevent freezing, thereby gaining an advantage in the war against Germany. This substance is what we call silicone oil today.

Aerospace
"This is just a small step for me, but it is a big step for the entire mankind." This sentence became known to people all over the world with the success of the American moon landing in 1969. American astronaut Armstrong stayed on the surface of the moon. He made the first footprint of mankind, and the sole material of the boots he was wearing was silicone rubber produced by Dow Corning!
Of course, today, silicone materials are more widely used in aerospace. Instrument oils, damping oils, special hydraulic oils, and advanced coatings are all inseparable from silicone materials.
Just as many technological products originate from military warfare and are popularized in life, so are silicone materials! Due to its excellent performance, silicone materials were quickly used in all aspects of production and life after World War II! It can be said that from opening our glasses in the morning to going to bed at night, we will deal with silicone products all day long.