Silicone is both familiar and unfamiliar to us. It is familiar because silicone products are widely used in all aspects of our production, and it is unfamiliar because it is difficult for us to notice the existence of silicone. The following will popularize what silicone is from the material composition of silicone.



1. Material of silica gel

Silica gel (also known as oxidized silica gel or silicic acid gel) is a highly active adsorption material, an amorphous substance, with a chemical formula of mSiO2·nH2O; it does not react with any substance except strong alkali and hydrofluoric acid, is insoluble in water and any solvent, is non-toxic and tasteless, and has stable chemical properties. Various types of silica gel form different microporous structures due to their different manufacturing methods. The chemical composition and physical structure of silica gel determine that it has many characteristics that are difficult to replace by other similar materials: high adsorption performance, good thermal stability, stable chemical properties, and high mechanical strength.

2. Composition of silica gel

The basic component of silica gel is silicon dioxide, which has a microporous structure and a rigid skeleton structure in physical properties. It is wear-resistant, has high compressive strength, and does not deliquesce or swell after adsorption. It is an amorphous structure of silicon dioxide, which is chemically inert, non-toxic, and structurally stable.

3. Classification of silica gel

Silica gel can be divided into two categories: organic silica gel and inorganic silica gel according to its properties and components.

Inorganic silica gel is a highly active adsorption material, usually made by reacting sodium silicate with sulfuric acid, and undergoing a series of post-treatment processes such as aging and acid soaking. Silica gel is an amorphous substance with a chemical formula of mSiO2.nH2O. It is insoluble in water and any solvent, non-toxic and tasteless, with stable chemical properties, and does not react with any substance except strong alkali and hydrofluoric acid. Different types of silica gel form different microporous structures due to their different manufacturing methods.
The chemical composition and physical structure of silica gel determine that it has many characteristics that are difficult to replace by other similar materials: high adsorption performance, good thermal stability, stable chemical properties, high mechanical strength, etc. It is used as a desiccant, humidity regulator, deodorant, etc. in households; it is used as an oil decolorizer, catalyst carrier, pressure swing adsorbent, etc. in industry; it is used as a separation and purification agent for fine chemicals, a beer stabilizer, a paint thickener, a toothpaste abrasive, a matting agent, etc.

Organic silica gel is an organosilicon compound, which refers to a compound containing Si-C bonds and at least one organic group directly connected to the silicon atom. Compounds that connect organic groups to silicon atoms through oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen, etc. are also usually considered as organosilicon compounds. Among them, polysiloxanes with silicon-oxygen bonds (-Si-O-Si-) as the skeleton are the most numerous, most deeply studied and most widely used type of organosilicon compounds, accounting for more than 90% of the total usage.