Silicone Elastomers

For more than a century since its founding in 1897, Dow has pioneered commercial success as an industry-leading materials science company. Today, Dow’s portfolio of plastics, industrial intermediates, coatings and silicones businesses delivers a broad range of differentiated science-based products and solutions for customers in high-growth market segments, such as packaging, infrastructure and consumer care.

Dow combines global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation and leading business positions to achieve profitable growth. The company’s ambition is to become the most innovative, customer centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company. Dow’s ability to innovate at the intersection of chemistry, engineering and material science has brought solutions that differentiate its customers while positively impacting the world. These include lightweight carbon fibers for cars, technology to more efficiently produce cleaner water and packaging solutions that help make food safer and stay fresh longer.

Silicone elastomers are a group of silicone materials that are heat stable and offer good resistance to extreme temperatures usally ranging from -100 to 300° C). They come in many different forms and grades. Silicone elastomers are known for their moldability and use across many different industries and applications and are generally available in virtually any color.

Silicone elastomers are versatile synthetic rubber-like materials that find wide applications due to their unique properties like flexibility, chemical resistance, temperature resistance, and inertness.

In industrial and manufacturing uses, they are employed for gaskets, seals, electrical insulation, automotive parts like hoses and belts, and construction sealants. Their durability and ability to withstand extreme conditions make them ideal for such harsh environment applications.

The beauty and personal care industry utilizes silicone elastomers in skin care, hair care and color cosmetic formulations to enhance product properties like spreadability, a unique powdery feel, wrinkle masking, sebum absorption, water resistance, and transfer resistance. Their smooth, non-greasy feel also makes them desirable ingredients in these products. Molded silicone elastomer parts are also used as applicators and accessories.

Other consumer uses include kitchen utensils, bakeware, toys and baby products - taking advantage of the non-stick, heat-resistant and hypoallergenic nature of these materials.

Across all these diverse applications, the versatility of silicone elastomers arises from their ability to retain desirable properties across wide temperature ranges, their chemical inertness, mechanical strength and flexibility. Their unique combination of performance attributes allows them to meet the demanding requirements of many modern products and manufacturing processes.

Univar Solutions is a global chemical distributor that offers a variety of silicone elastomers. Check out all of the options below!