Silicone vs Silica vs Silicon
Silicone is a highly active adsorption material, belongs to the amorphous substance, the main component is silicone dioxide, chemical stability, does not burn. silicone is insoluble in water and any solvent, non-toxic and tasteless, chemically stable, and does not react with any substance except strong alkali and hydrofluoric acid. It has the characteristics of high absorption, good thermal stability, chemical stability and high mechanical strength.
Silicone is widely used in many fields. It can be used for gas drying or absorption, liquid dehydration and chromatographic analysis, as well as as a catalyst or catalyst carrier.
What is silica?
Silica dioxide is an inorganic compound that is one of the most common oxides on Earth.
It is widely found in nature, is a hard, brittle, insoluble colorless transparent solid.
It is insoluble in water, but soluble in hydrofluoric acid and hot concentrated phosphoric acid, and can react with molten bases.
Silica has high melting point, stable chemical properties, high dispersion and good chemical stability.
Silica is a major component of many rocks, sand and glass. Silica occurs in nature in many forms, the most common being quartz, which is a very hard crystal.
What is silicon?
Silicon has two allotropes: crystalline silicon and amorphous silicon, which is chemically relatively stable at room temperature and is not easy to react with air, water and acid, but can react with a variety of elements at high temperatures.
Silicon is rarely found in nature in the form of a single substance, usually in the form of complex silicates or silica widely found in rocks, gravel and dust. As an important semiconductor material, silicon is widely used in the electronics industry, computer chips, solar cells and other fields.
How are silicone, silica and silicon made?
Silicone is a chemical reaction that converts its main raw material silica into silicone hydroxide, and then treats it with acid to make it pure silicone.
The preparation of silicon according to different raw material sources, product quality requirements and production conditions and other factors choose different ways: carbothermal reduction method, metal thermal reduction method, chlorosilane method and so on.
Silica is mainly produced by the following methods: combustion, sublimation, and pyrolysis.
Where is silicone used?
Where is silica used?
- Cosmetics:
- As a non-toxic and stable substance, silica is used in cosmetics and personal care products such as sunscreen and talcum powder.
- Electronics:
- In the semiconductor industry, high-purity silica is used to make silicon chips and solar panels.
- Glass manufacturing:
- Silica is the main raw material for the production of glass, especially in the manufacture of Windows, bottles and optical instruments.
Where is silicon used?
- Medical industry: Silicon is used for applications in the medical field. It is a key element in the manufacture of artificial joints, surgical procedures and dental prosthetics.
- The construction industry: Silicon also plays an important role in the construction industry and is commonly used for rubber sealing and insulation in construction and engineering.
- Semiconductor industry: Silicon is a key material in the manufacture of computer chips and integrated circuits. Silicon chips make hardware smaller, more powerful and more durable.
Which people use silicone, silica and silicon?
Why are silicone, silica and silicon so versatile?
Silicone is a kind of highly active adsorption material, with strong moisture absorption ability, widely used in food, drugs and cosmetics as a desiccant, to prevent products from moisture, good temperature resistance, wear resistance, good electrical insulation, insoluble in water and any solvent, non-toxic and tasteless, chemical stability.
Silica is a kind of inorganic non-metallic material, chemical stability, corrosion resistance, not easy to react with other substances , high hardness, wear resistance , crystal and agate and other materials are mainly composed of it.
Silicon, which has an electrical conductivity between a conductor and an insulator , is a key material in the manufacture of semiconductors and integrated circuits. It is also used to make alloys with special properties, such as high-strength aluminium alloys used in cars and aircraft.
How much silicone, silica and silicon will cost
The price of silicone products is affected by many factors, including material type, product size, product quantity, color and surface treatment . The price of silica varies according to its purity and use. There is no specific value for the price of silicon, as it is usually purchased in the form of raw materials, and the price will vary based on purity, manufacturing process and purchase volume.
When to use silicone, silica and silicon
Silicone, silica and silicon are suitable for different applications due to their unique properties. The choice of use should be determined according to the specific application needs and working environment. Silicone is suitable for waterproof, insulating extreme temperature environment; Silicon dioxide is mainly used in desiccant and catalyst carriers, while silicon can be used to manufacture a variety of high-performance materials and components .
Conclusion
Silicon, silicone, and silica are essentially all products of the same material family. However, they also differ on several fronts – from their manufacturing process to their benefits. Each material has its own uniqueness, whether it is manufacturing, medical services, construction or auto parts, these materials will come in handy whenever you need a job.
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