Dimethyl Silicone Fluid is common in life, but if you were asked what is it exactly, many of us might not be able to explain much further. So in this article, we will share a comprehensive understanding about Dimethyl Silicone Fluid.
The General idea
Dimethyl Silicone Fluid refers to organic siloxane products with Si-O-Si as the main chain that remain in a liquid state at room temperature.
Dimethyl Silicone Fluid is one type of Silicone oil. But do you know how many types of Silicone oil are there? Don’t worry. Keep reading.
As we know, Silicone oils are liquid polymerized siloxanes with organic side chains. Generally, Silicone oil can be mainly divided into two big categories: Straight silicone fluids and Modified silicone fluids. Straight silicone fluids, also known as Linear silicone oil, can be further divided into non functional silicone oil and silicon functional silicone oil. And Modified silicone fluids can be divided into carbon functional silicone oil, copolymerized silicone oil, and main chain modified silicone oil.
Yet in practical indurstrial production, Straight silicone fluids have much wider application. And Dimethyl Silicone Fluid is its typical Representative. Because it has wide range of viscosity, from 100 to 10,000 cPs. So before we select the right fluid for specific applications, it’s helpful for us to know the viscosity characteristics of Dimethyl Silicone Fluids.
The Viscosity on the Properties of Dimethyl Silicone Fluid
Do you know, how does the viscosity of dimethyl silicone fluid affect their properties? See as follows:
In general, the viscosity affects their properties in four aspects, including their temperature stability, flow behavior, shear thinning properties, and film formation capabilities.
- Temperature Stability: Dimethyl silicone fluids show excellent temperature stability, and their viscosity remains relatively unchanged in various temperature conditions. In this case, either high or low temperatures, the viscosity of these fluids remains consistent. Thus, we can see great advantage in maintaining its performance with temperature fluctuations.
- Flow and Spreading: The viscosity of dimethyl silicone fluids influences their flow performace. That means, the higher viscosity the fluids have, the more slowly they tend to flow, and vice versa. Hence, this is an important factor as lubrication and release agents for smoothly and evenly spreading.
- Shear Thinning: As the shear rate increases, the viscosity of the dimethyl silicone fluid decreases. Shear thinning behavior is more pronounced in higher viscosity fluids. So this property can benefit spraying processes.
- Film Formation: The viscosity of dimethyl silicone fluids has also greatly related to their ability to form a thin, uniform film on surfaces. The higher viscosity the dimethyl silicone fluid has, the thicker films will form. Take mold release agents for example. This property will enure a thin and even coating to avoid sticking or adhesion.
Synthesizing Dimethyl Silicone Fluid: A Step-by-Step Guide
So there are three ways to syntherize Dimethyl Silicone Fluid. The first one is Catalytic equilibrium method of hydrolysis acid of Dimethyldichlorosilane. The second one is D4 alkali catalytic equilibrium method. The third one is D4 acid catalytic equilibrium method. But among them, D4 alkali catalytic equilibrium method is the most commonly used one in industrial production. So belows are the detailed steps for D4 alkali catalytic equilibrium method:
Step 1. D4 and MD2M are added to the dehydration kettle in a certain proportion.
Step 2. Remove water at reduced pressure, nitrogen supply, and 50 degrees Celsius.
Step 3. Add catalyst to further remove moisture.
Step 4. Transfer to the polymerization kettle, slowly raise the temperature to 88-95 degrees under nitrogen and reduced pressure, and react for 4 hours.
Step 5. Release the vacuum, raise the temperature to above 150 degrees, and maintain for 1 hour
Step 6. Remove low boiling substances at 200 degrees Celsius and cool to obtain a colorless and transparent finished product
Done.
The advantages
- High and low temperature resistance: operating temperature -40 to 200 degrees Celsius.
- Antioxidant properties: Almost no oxidation below 150 degrees Celsius. Above 200 degrees, the oxidative crosslinking trend of the side chains begins to turn obvious.
- Low viscosity temperature coefficient: The viscosity changes little with temperature,
- Shear resistance: The shear resistance is more than 20 times better than the best mineral oil: It’s a good choice as lubricant.
5 Low Vapor pressure: the Specific heat capacity is small, about 1/3 of water - Low surface tension: hydrophobicity, defoaming, and demolding
- Electrical insulation: high volume cation rate and insulation strength
- Electrical insulation: high volume cation rate and insulation strength
- Physiological inertness: It has no corrosive effect on most materials and is stable to water and air at room temperature, but is not resistant to strong acids and alkalis.
Editor’s Pick: SioResin’s Dimethyl Silicone Oil
Sioresin offers affordable, high-quality, and versatile Dimethyl Silicone Oil/Fluid. It features:
- Non-volatile
- Stable chemical properties
- Excellent heat resistance
- High flash point
- Electrical insulation
- Water and moisture resistance
- Hydrophobicity
- Lubricity
- Physiologically inertia
- Low surface tension
- Customized viscosity
- High compression resistance
- A low temperature coefficient
- The use temperature range is -50~+180℃
- Non-toxic effects on organisms (including humans)
- Viscosity from 0.65cps to 2000000cps (the viscosity remains constant over a wide temperature range.)
Learn details about SioResin Dimethyl Silicone Oil/Fluid, simply contact from sales@sioresin.com