Silicone is highly recommended to ensure mechanical and environmental protection in electronic applications

Silicone is a material known for its stability. It is increasingly used to ensure the safety of certain electronic components due to its electrical insulation, adhesion, temperature and fire resistance. Are you interested in the subject? We tell you more in today’s article!

Why is silicone so popular in electronics?

Silicone rubbers and gels have inherent physical properties that make them an excellent choice for sealing electronics. First and foremost, they are easy to use and repair, which is not insignificant. They also have excellent electrical properties, namely they can be thermally conductive, UV, ozone and weather resistant. The fact that they are non-corrosive and have a low toxicity is also appreciable. Silicone rubbers and gels are resistant to chemicals, but their strengths also lie in their flexibility and the fact that they absorb mechanical shocks and vibrations. Finally, it is important to remember that they are moisture resistant, water repellent and have a wide operating temperature range.

What are silicone adhesives properties? 

Silicone adhesives, or polysiloxanes, are inorganic polymers consisting of a silicon-oxygen chain with organic groups attached to the atoms in the chain. The chemical nature of silicone gives it many advantages over organic elastomers and sealants. The main chemical characteristic of silicone is the presence of a high number of Si-O bonds with a much higher bond energy than the C-O and C-C bonds in organic polymers. This gives silicone adhesives a number of specific properties.  One of the main qualities of silicone is that it degrades at very high temperatures. Silicone has excellent resistance to UV and weathering. It is also highly resistant to both high and low temperatures. Silicone is a low flammability material with excellent chemical resistance. It can also be recognised that silicone has excellent chemical resistance, excellent dielectric properties and low toxicity.  Please note that if silicone adhesives are to come into contact with particularly aggressive chemicals such as solvents, oils or concentrated acid solutions, it is strongly recommended that compatibility tests are carried out beforehand.

Which supplier to turn to for silicone solutions?

Silicone is the favorite electronic potting compound for many manufacturers.  Elkem is now one of the world’s leading manufacturers of fully integrated silicone. Although mainly based in France, the company has research and development laboratories, production sites and sales offices in Europe, North America, South America and Asia.  Elkem Silicones offers a wide range of silicone rubbers and gels recommended for use in electronic applications for mechanical and environmental protection. Elkem Silicones offers customised silicone gels known for their low volatility and low viscosity. If you are looking for silicone products for sensitive electronic, high thermal conductivity or electrical applications, you should look to Elkem. Elkem has an international presence and their experts can assist you in finding the right silicone coating and encapsulation solutions for your needs.*

We hope that our article has been able to enlighten you on the use of silicone in electronics. Please feel free to do further research to find out more about the subject.