Silicone | Vitamins for Life/Industry (III)


IV. USES OF ORGANOSILICON


Because of these excellent properties, silicone has a wide range of applications. It is not only used as a special material in aviation, advanced technology and military technology departments, but also in various sectors of the national economy. Its application scope has been extended to construction, electronics and electricity, textiles, automobiles, machinery, leather and paper making, chemical light industry, metals and paints, medicine and medical treatment, etc.


Military use


In other words, the exploration and research of organosilicon compounds can be traced back to the 18th century. However, the rapid development of silicone originated from the use of special materials as military equipment such as aircraft, rockets and tanks in World War II. Silicone is a typical semi-inorganic semi-organic macromolecule material, which has unique properties such as high and low temperature resistance, oxygen resistance, light resistance and weather aging resistance. Therefore, it is widely used in airplane structural parts upsetting, resistors, surface sealing of radio electronic equipment and so on.


When Germany invaded the former Soviet Union that year, it was in the harsh winter once in a century. All tanks and armoured equipment in the Soviet and German countries became a pile of scrap iron due to the freezing of oil and gas needed for operation. In the face of this harsh situation, Soviet scientists found that a mixture of substances and oils could prevent freezing, thus occupying an advantage in the war against Germany. This substance is what we call silicone oil today.


Aerospace


"It's only a small step for me, but it's a big step for the whole human race." With the success of the American lunar landing in 1969, Americans astronaut Armstrong left the first footprint of human beings on the surface of the moon. The soles of the boots he was wearing were made of silicone rubber.


Of course, today, silicone materials are more widely used in aerospace. Instrument oils, damper oils, special hydraulic oils, advanced coatings and so on are inseparable from silicone materials.


Just as many scientific and technological products originate from military wars and are widely used in life, so are organosilicon materials. Due to its excellent performance, silicone materials have been rapidly applied in all aspects of production and life after World War II. It can be said that from opening our eyes in the morning to going to bed in the evening, we will be dealing with organosilicon products all day.


From Silicone Public