Silicone materials, also known as organosilicon compounds, refer to compounds containing silicon-carbon (Si-C) bonds and at least one organic group directly connected to silicon atoms. Compounds that connect organic groups to silicon atoms through oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen, etc. are also usually considered organosilicon compounds.
Organosilicon compounds have not been found in nature so far. Chemists combine silicon in quartz sand with organic macromolecules to create a new "hybrid" material, which people call "organosilicon". There are many types of organosilicon compounds, including polysiloxanes, polysilanes, polycarbosilanes, polynitrogen silanes, etc. Organopolysiloxanes are the most important type, accounting for more than 90% of the total use of organosilicon materials. Today, China's polysiloxane production capacity has reached 67% of the global production ratio, and it has become the world's largest producer, consumer and net exporter of raw materials for organosilicon.
As early as the 18th century, French scientists first prepared the organosilicon material tetraethylsilane (SiEt4). Later, Kipping, a scientist at the University of Nottingham in the UK, conducted a systematic study on organosilicon materials. He not only used the Grignard reaction to synthesize organochlorosilanes, but also formulated naming rules for organosilicon compounds, laying the foundation for later scientists to study organosilicon materials.
During World War II, scholars Hyde and Patnode prepared organosilicon insulating grease, which has moisture and heat resistance and can be used in electrical equipment and aircraft ignition systems running at high temperatures and high speeds. Since then, a variety of early organosilicon materials have been introduced, such as dimethyl silicone oil and organosilicon coatings.
In 1940, scholar Rochow invented a method for synthesizing hydrocarbon chlorosilanes by directly reacting silicon with chlorocarbons at high temperatures, which greatly improved the shortcomings of the previous Grignard reaction. The direct method for synthesizing hydrocarbon chlorosilanes is considered to be one of the epoch-making achievements in the history of organosilicon chemistry. Later, based on this invention, the first fluidized bed for synthesizing methylchlorosilane in history was developed, laying the foundation for the industrial production of organosilicon.
Since then, silicone production plants of all sizes have emerged around the world. By the beginning of the 21st century, several large-scale multinational corporations had been formed, and the number of varieties of silicone products developed has reached thousands.