What is silicone oil?
Silicone oil is a kind of polyorganosiloxane with chain structure of different degrees of polymerization, which is generally colorless (or light yellow), odorless, non-toxic and non-volatile liquid. Insoluble in water, methanol, glycol and -ethoxyethanol, miscible with benzene, dimethyl ether, methyl ethyl ketone, carbon tetrachloride or kerosene, slightly soluble in acetone, dioxane, ethanol and butanol. It has a small vapor pressure, high flash point and ignition point, and low freezing point. As the number of segments n is different, the molecular weight increases and the viscosity increases, so this silicone oil can have various viscosities, from 0.65 centistokes to millions of centistokes.

What are the classifications of silicone oil?
The classification of silicone oil is specifically divided into: amino silicone oil, epoxy modified silicone oil, carboxyl modified silicone oil, alcohol modified silicone oil, phenolic modified silicone oil, mercapto modified silicone oil, acryloyloxy and methacryloyloxy modified silicone oil. silicone oil, methyl long-chain alkyl silicone oil, methyl trifluoropropyl silicone oil, polyether modified silicone oil.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of silicone oil?

Advantages
1. The viscosity-temperature performance is the best among liquid lubricants, and the viscosity changes little in a wide temperature range. Its freezing point is generally less than -50°C, and some are as high as -70°C. The appearance and viscosity of the oil will not change after long-term storage at low temperature. It is a base oil that takes into account high temperature, low temperature and wide temperature range.
2. Excellent thermal oxidation stability, such as thermal decomposition temperature > 300 °C, small evaporation loss (150 °C, 30 days, evaporation loss is only 2%), oxidation test (200 °C, 72h), small changes in viscosity and acid value .
3. Excellent electrical insulation, volume resistance, etc. do not change in the range of normal temperature to 130 °C (but the oil cannot contain water).
4. It is a non-toxic oil with low foaming and strong anti-foaming properties, which can be used as a defoaming agent.
5. Excellent shear stability, with the function of absorbing vibration and preventing vibration transmission, it can be used as vibration damping fluid.

Shortcomings
1. The lubricity of silicone oil is poor, especially for the friction pair of steel and steel.
2. The thermal expansion coefficient of silicone oil is large (may cause overpressure problems).
3. High gas solubility (difficult to design gas sealing device).
4. Certain hygroscopicity (after the water content is higher than 100×10-6, the electrical properties drop sharply).
5. Small surface tension (easy to leak from the machine).

The role and use of silicone oil
Silicone oils have a very wide range of applications. It is not only used as a special material in aviation, cutting-edge technology, and military technology departments, but also in various sectors of the national economy. Metal and paint, medicine and medical, etc.

The main applications of silicone oil and its derivatives are: release agent, shock absorption oil, dielectric oil, hydraulic oil, heat transfer oil, diffusion pump oil, defoamer, lubricant, hydrophobic agent, paint additive, polishing agent, cosmetics And daily necessities additives, surfactants, particle and fiber treatment agents, silicone grease, flocculants.