What Is Silicone Rubber Made Of

Silicone rubbers are widely used in industry and there are multiple formulations.

What is silicone rubber made of.

It is a man made material and has viscoelasticity meaning that it is both viscous and elastic. At the molecular level the silicone rubber polymer is made of a silica and oxygen backbone in contrast to the usual carbon backbone of most polymers. Silicone is a versatile polymer used in elastomers oils greases and caulks among other materials. They are typically colorless oils or rubber like substances.

Its structure always comprises siloxane backbone silicon oxygen chain and an organic moiety bound to the silicon. Materials that display viscoelasticity are known generally as rubbers. What is silicone made of. While silicone rubber looks and feels like organic rubber it has a completely different type of structure than other elastomers.

A high performance polymer originally developed to insulate electric motors and generators silicone rubber is derived from silicon metal and silica sand. The silicon is then reacted with fossil fuel derived hydrocarbons to create the siloxane monomers alternating silicon oxygen atoms which are bonded together into polymers to form the backbone of the final. Silicone rubber is an elastomer rubber like material composed of silicone itself a polymer containing silicon together with carbon hydrogen and oxygen. Silicones are used in sealants adhesives lubricants medicine cooking utensils and thermal and electrical insulation.

Silicone is primarily made of silicon but also includes oxygen hydrogen and carbon. Its primary ingredient is silica one of the most commonly occurring forms of sand. Here s what you need to know about silicone production. This polysiloxane chain is what is more colloquially referred to as silicone.

Silicone rubber is a semi organic synthetic made from sand and alkyl or aryl halides.