WACKER

Functional Silicone Fluids

Silicone fluids are the starting materials for further silicone products which are created by chemical functionalization. This makes it possible to impart different, desirable properties to silicone fluids.

Functionalization of silicone fluids

The siloxane backbone is most often modified in two ways:

• Instead of methyl groups, longer alkyl chains are attached
• Functionalization is performed with organic polymers . For example, polyethylene oxide, polypropylene oxide or alkylamino groups can be used for this.

This affords a way of transforming hydrophobic silicone fluids into more or less hydrophilic molecules.

Reactive silicone fluids are siloxanes terminated with reactive groups. They include, e.g. OH polymers (hydrolyzates) or silicone fluids with amino or epoxy groups.