Silicone foams applications

The unique surface characteristics of polysiloxanes mean that they are extensively used as surfactants. Silicone surfactants have been thoroughly studied and described in numerous articles. For an extensive, in-depth discussion of this subject, a recent chapter by Hill,476 and his introductory chapter in the monograph he later edited,477 are excellent references. In the latter monograph, many aspects of silicone surfactants are described in 12 chapters. In the introduction, Hill discusses the chemistry of silicone surfactants, surface activity, aggregation behavior of silicone surfactants in various media, and their key applications in polyurethane foam manufacture, in textile and fiber industry, in personal care, and in paint and coating industries. All this information (with 200 cited references) provides a broad background for the discussion of more specific issues covered in other chapters. Thus, surfactants based on silicone polyether co-polymers are surveyed.478 Novel siloxane surfactant structures,479 surface activity and aggregation phenomena,480 silicone surfactants application in the formation of polyurethane foam,481 foam control and... 

Snow, S. A. Stevens, R. E. The Science of Silicone Surfactant Application in the Formation of Polyurethane Foam. In Silicone Surfactants-, Hill, R. M., Ed. Surfactant Science Series Dekker New York, 1999 Vol. 86, Chapter 5, pp 137-158. 

The range of silicones for these form-in-place applications continues to grow (5). A variety of silicone foams is particularly useful in fire-resistant penetration seals. A promising new silicone is a latex that deposits a coherent and fully cured elastomer on loss of water. These new forms offer the convenience of silicones from water-based systems and are appearing as easy-to-use, water-based silicone caulks and as high-performance exterior-coating systems. 

Flexible plastic foams may be found in the form of very soft cushioning materials used in upholstery, clothing interlayers, automobile seats, vibration absorbers, etc. The most common flexible foam resins are polyurethanes, foamed vinyls, cellular polyethylene, cross-linked polyethylene, and silicone foam. Semirigid foams are used for floatation devices, marine bumpers, special electrical insulation on television cables, packaging, and a host of other applications. Rigid foams are used in the production of airplane parts, boats, electronic encapsulation, and many furniture applications where wood was formerly used. 

Homogeneous catalysis by lin compounds is also of great indusirial importance. The use of SnCU as a Friedel-Crafts catalyst for homogeneous acylation, alkylation and cyclizaiion reactions has been known for many decades. The most commonly used industrial homogeneous tin catalysis, however, are the Sn(ll) salts of organic acids (e.g. acetate, oxalate, oleale, stearate and ocToate) for the curing of silicone elasloniers and, more importantly, for the production of polyurethane foams. World consumption of tin catalysts for the.se Iasi applications alone is over 1000 tonnes pa. 

Intensive investigations have shown that specific silica-silicone mixtures or paraffin oil systems are considerably more universal in their applicability and that their effectiveness is independent of both water hardness and the nature of the surfactant-builder system employed [31-33]. Therefore, most heavy-duty detergents in Europe have silicone oil and/or paraffins as foam depressors. Soap has almost lost its importance as a foam regulator. Silica-silicone systems, frequently called silicone antifoams, are usually commercially available as concentrated powders. The key silicone oils used for antifoams are dimethylpolysiloxanes. 

Industrially, silicone surfactants are used in a variety of processes including foam, textile, concrete and thermoplastic production, and applications include use as foam stabilisers, defoamers, emulsifiers, dispersants, wetters, adhesives, lubricants and release agents [1]. The ability of silicone surfactants to also function in organic media creates a unique niche for their use, such as in polyurethane foam manufacture and as additives to paints and oil-based formulations, whilst the ability to lower surface tension in aqueous solutions provides useful superwetting properties. The low biological risk associated with these compounds has also led to their use in cosmetics and personal care products [2]. 

While unaffected by water, styrofoam is dissolved by many organic solvents and is unsuitable for high-temperature applications because its heat-distortion temperature is around 77°C. Molded styrofoam objects are produced commercially from expandable polystyrene beads, but this process does not appear attractive for laboratory applications because polyurethane foams are much easier to foam in place. However, extruded polystyrene foam is available in slabs and boards which may be sawed, carved, or sanded into desired shapes and may be cemented. It is generally undesirable to join expanded polystyrene parts with cements that contain solvents which will dissolve the plastic and thus cause collapse of the cellular structure. This excludes from use a large number of cements which contain volatile aromatic hydrocarbons, ketones, or esters. Some suitable cements are room-temperature-vulcanizing silicone rubber (see below) and solvent-free epoxy cements. When a strong bond is not necessary, polyvinyl-acetate emulsion (Elmer s Glue-All) will work. 

The low water absorptivity and good resistance to hydrostatic pressure make syntactic foams very useful for marine and submarine construction. Materials to be used for deep-sea application must have 1) low compressibilities at high hydrostatic pressure, 2) low thermal expansion coefficients, 3) low water absorption, and 4) good fire resistance. The fluids used for buoyancy in deep water submersibles include gasoline, ammonia, and silicone oil, while the solids include plastic, glass and aluminium foams, lithium, wood, and monolithic polyolefins. The liquids are dense but have low... 

This reaction yields surfactants in which the polar group is linked to the silicone through an SiOC linkage. These materials have found widespread use in nonaqueous applications such as manufacture of polyurethane foam (PUF) but in an aqueous system the SiOC linkage hydrolyses (rapidly away from pH = 7). 

The high hydrophobicity of silicones can complicate their use in some applications. For example, proteins can undergo denaturation in contact with silicones [1]. In such cases, the siloxane can be modified to include a hydrophilic domain. This is typically accomplished by functionalizing the silicone with a hydrophilic polymer such as poly(ethylene oxide)(PEO). Silicone surfactants of this type have found widespread use as stabilizers for polyurethane foams, and have been investigated as a structurant to prepare siloxane elastomers for biomaterials... 

Elastomeric shield materials (ESM) have been developed as low density flexible ablators for low shear applications (49). General Electric s RTV 560 is a foamed silicone elastomer loaded with silicon dioxide /7631-86-9] and iron oxide [1317-61-9] particles, which decomposes to a similar foam of Si02, SiC, and FeSi03- Silicone resins are relatively resistant to thermal decomposition and the silicon dioxide forms a viscous liquid when molten (50) (see... 

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