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SILICONES – Definition and Properties
A World of Unlimited Potential
We encounter silicones every day without noticing them. Under the hood, silicone rubber protects car electronics against moisture and dirt; in washing machines, silicone antifoam agents prevent the detergent from foaming over; in shampoo, silicones give hair its sheen; as silicone resin emulsion paints, they give masonry water repellency, while allowing water vapor and carbon dioxide to diffuse out of its interior. But also in medical applications requiring high resistance or cutting-edge products, silicones deliver genuine peak performance – serving as particularly pure material in medical tubing, wound dressings or orthopedic products, and as safe sealing and insulating materials in electrical equipment or insulators.
From Science to Success
The development of the Müller-Rochow process some 75 years ago paved the way for methylchlorosilane to be obtained from silicon metal and methyl chloride. This provided the first-ever access to the starting materials needed for the industrial manufacture of silicones and kick-started the global boom in the use of silicone products in many different applications. WACKER is a pioneer in this field, and was the first company in Europe to begin researching silicones. In the following years, WACKER processes laid the foundations for the modern and efficient manufacturing of organochlorosilanes and silicone products.
This was the beginning of the success story. These early scientific accomplishments underlie WACKER’s reputation as the European pioneer of silicone chemistry. The globally active WACKER Group now develops, produces and markets a versatile product portfolio in a range of complex chemical processes.
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