The changes in hot air balloons over the past few hundred years have mostly concerned the materials used in the balloons. Most airbags today are made of coated ripstop nylon. After the flamethrower is ignited, the internal circulation temperature of the hot air balloon is usually about 120°C, while the external temperature is generally close to 20°C. This temperature difference of nearly 100°C requires the airbag material of the hot air balloon to have excellent temperature resistance. At present, more and more people choose silicone rubber as the coating material of hot air balloon.

Silicone rubber is a polyorganosiloxane-based rubber elastomer, which is produced by a cross-linking reaction. The polymer chain composed of silicone macromolecules will form a three-dimensional network structure during the cross-linking process, which is extremely resistant to high temperature, and at the same time has low temperature flexibility, chemical stability and biocompatibility.

When used as a coating material, silicone rubber permanently protects sensitive substrates from ambient conditions such as high temperatures. This is because the silicone coating can hinder the heat conduction between the substrate and the surrounding environment, reducing the impact of thermal stress on the substrate. Silicone rubber is continuously exposed to oxygen, ozone or UV radiation and absorbs UV-C radiation and some UV-B radiation.

The processing method of silicone fabric coating is also different according to the application of the product and the performance, viscosity, etc. of the silicone rubber. At present, the silicone fabric coating process is mainly divided into knife coating, dip coating, screen printing and extrusion. During processing, depending on the viscosity of the liquid silicone, it may be necessary to add a solvent to adjust the viscosity of the product.
Withstanding the rigors of hot air balloons, silicone rubber has a wide range of applications in other fabric coatings due to its many excellent properties.

Silicone rubber can be applied to fabric coatings in various industries such as automotive, medical, electric energy, construction, industry, and civil use:

- Heat resistant, breathable and long service life of silicone rubber for thermal insulation protection fabric coatings
- Low temperature flexibility, thermal insulation properties of silicone rubber for outdoor gear fabrics
- Good skin-friendly and soft properties of silicone rubber, suitable for fabrics in direct contact with the skin
- Excellent air permeability and anti-ultraviolet aging properties of silicone rubber, suitable for parachutes, light-proof curtains and car airbags
- In addition, silicone rubber has excellent safety and biocompatibility, suitable for food and drug delivery fields