Silicone Knowlege: What is Silicone

Mar 23, 2023JE SILICONE

Silicone Knowlege: What is Silicone

Silicone can be found in so many products we use in our daily lives, from the cars we drive, food preparation and storage products, baby bottles and pacifiers, and dental and other daily personal hygiene products. Silicone is also widely used in products that could save our lives including respiratory masks, IV’s, and other critical medical and healthcare devices.

What Is Silicone?

Silicone, also called polysiloxane, is a highly versatile synthetic material used in a vast range of industries. It is a polymer comprised of siloxane that features a rubber-like consistency with molecules that have chains of alternating oxygen and silicon atoms. This unique polymer can be a key component used in:

Resins
Fluids
Elastomers

Silicones have plasticlike properties: flexibility, malleability, clarity, temperature resistance, and water resistance.

Like plastic, they can be shaped or formed and softened or hardened into practically anything. Since they're easy to clean, nonstick, and nonstaining, they're popular for cookware and kitchen utensils, too.

A distinct differentiator between silicones and other industrial polymers is that their molecular backbone does not contain carbon. Some of the common applications using silicone include: