Silicone is a useful and durable material, handy for all sorts of roles and items, both industrial and domestic.
Temperature Resistance
Both heat- and cold-resistant, silicone can handle extreme temperatures better than standard organic rubbers. It barely changes from around -60 degrees to 150 degrees Celsius, meaning it doesn’t go brittle.
Electrical Properties
Silicone can withstand electrical contact at the highest voltage possible. It is used for its electrical insulating properties and does not deteriorate under frequency or temperature caused by volts.
Weather Resistance
Extreme weathers do not affect silicone rubbers, unlike organic rubbers. Ultraviolet rays and wet, windy, hot or cold weather over long-term periods will not affect them.
Radioactive Resistance
Most silicone rubbers (dimenthyl) can’t withstand radioactive rays, but methyl phenyl silicone is able to show good resistance. This particular silicone can be used for connectors and cables in nuclear power stations.
Solvent and Chemical Resistance
Silicone hose manufacturers such as goodflexrubber.com/pages/silicone-hose-manufacture will maintain the durability of silicone hoses in industrial (and smaller domestic) chemical production – its resistance is fantastic. Silicone also has great oil resistance at high temperatures (above 100 degrees Celsius for best results).
Physiological Uses
Silicone rubbers don’t cause the blood to coagulate easily, so they are used in medicine for the likes of artificial organs, catheters, lenses and rubber stoppers.
Steam Resistance
Even when immersed totally in water, silicone rubbers have low water absorption rates (only around 1%). The strength of the silicone and any electrical current within the silicone are unaffected.
Incombustibility
Even when in very close contact to naked flames, silicone rubber does not easily burn. Yet, once it does catch fire, it burns constantly. If silicone is treated with minute flame retardant, it is possible for it to become incombustible. No toxic gases or smoke will be produced when silicone burns, due to the lack of organic halogen compounds (as in organic rubber). This makes them perfect for household appliances.
Gas Permeability
Silicone rubber is made up of membranes which are more permeable with regards to gas and water vapour, plus more selectivity, than those within organic rubber.
Colour and Transparency
Organic rubber is black because of the carbon within it – yet silicone rubber can be produced to be extremely transparent by adding fine silica. Colouration is easy because of this transparency, so a range of colours will be possible for silicone products.
