Silicone Fluids Overview
Silicone Fluids Overview
Clearco Silicones offers a complete line of silicone fluids in a wide viscosity range to provide maximum flexibility when selecting the specific silicone fluid to meet the requirements of various industrial, military, or consumer applications.
While it is challenging to recommend a single fluid for an application, this publication lists various applications and indicates the most frequently used Clearco silicone fluids. Generally, it is best to evaluate several possible silicone fluids to determine which will offer the optimum performance in an application.
Below are descriptions of the commonly used Clearco silicone fluids along with examples of the types of applications they are designed for.
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Silicone Fluids
Silicone oils, or polydimethylsiloxanes (PDMS), are fundamental components in most silicone-based applications. The most common PDMS fluid is a non-reactive, trimethyl-terminated linear polymer with a repeating, easily rotated dimethyl siloxane backbone. These polymers are commercially available in forms ranging from highly volatile, VOC-exempt cosmetic carriers to barely flowable silicone gums with viscosities of up to ~20,000,000 cSt, and everything in between.
Alternative linear silicone polymers may have reactive end groups such as silanol fluids (also known as OH fluids or SFR fluids for 'reactive'), which are the most common. Other reactive end groups include vinyl, hydride, carboxyl, or various other options for extending polymer chains and enhancing elastomeric crosslinking. Silicone fluids are one of the most vital classes of polymeric materials globally, impacting nearly every market segment, including but not limited to:
- Cosmetics
- Medicine and pharmaceutical applications
- Slip aids
- Water repellents
- Personal intimate lubricants
- Mold release
- Textile finishing
- Car care
- Anti-mar overcoats
- Dry cleaning
- Lubricants
- Food grade release and de-nesting
- Glossy print topcoats
To learn more about our silicone fluids, visit the following pages: Silicone Quats & Aminosiloxanes.
For technical assistance or sample requests, please visit our contact page.