Why can silicone products remain unchanged in extreme environments such as high temperature and high pressure?

Silicone, a widely used material in daily life and industrial production, has won the favor of many fields due to its unique softness, resilience, and excellent weather resistance. From tiny O-rings to common silicone pads in daily life, to sealing components in high-end technology products, silicone products are ubiquitous. Their superior performance enables them to maintain stable form and function even in complex and changing environments. So, what exactly gives silicone products such strong resistance to deformation, especially the secret of being able to remain "unchanged" under extreme conditions such as high temperature and high pressure? This article will take you to explore in depth the secret of silicone products not deforming.

When it comes to why silicone doesn‘t deform, we have to start with the silicone material. Silicone is a type of synthetic rubber known for its unique silicon oxygen bond structure. This structure not only endows silicone with excellent heat resistance, cold resistance, and aging resistance, but also gives it excellent elasticity and resilience. However, this does not mean that silicone is "eternal and unchanging". In fact, the deformation of silicone is closely related to factors such as its material hardness and usage conditions.

The deformation of silicone products is first determined by their material hardness. Silicone products with high hardness have relatively strong resistance to deformation when subjected to external forces, but they may also undergo permanent deformation when exposed to high pressure environments for a long time. On the contrary, silicone products with lower hardness, although more prone to deformation, have superior resilience and can quickly recover to their original state after external force is removed. Therefore, in industrial applications, choosing the appropriate silicone hardness is crucial to ensure the stability and durability of the product.

Stretching rate is also an important indicator for measuring the elasticity of silicone products. Generally speaking, the stretching rate of silicone can reach 300% or even higher (for particularly soft materials), which means it can withstand stretching over a wide range without breaking. However, this does not mean that silicone products can be stretched indefinitely. Excessive stretching can cause permanent damage to the silicone molecular chains, resulting in the loss of their original elasticity and resilience, leading to permanent deformation. Therefore, when using silicone products, excessive stretching should be avoided to extend their service life.

Silicone products also face the risk of deformation when used in harsh environments such as high temperature and humidity. High temperature will accelerate the movement of silicone molecules, reduce their cohesion, and thus increase the possibility of deformation. However, humid environments may affect the internal structure of silicone through permeation, leading to a decrease in its mechanical properties. Therefore, when designing and using silicone products, it is necessary to fully consider their working environment, select appropriate material formulations and structural designs to ensure that they can maintain stable performance under various conditions.

So, the reason why silicone products can maintain stable form and function in various complex environments is inseparable from their excellent material properties, reasonable structural design, and strict production. In the future development, with the continuous advancement of technology and people‘s pursuit of quality life, the performance and application fields of silicone products will continue to expand.