The key difference between silicone and silica lies in their composition. Silicone is a polymer, while silica is silicon dioxide.
Silicone and silica are important materials in various industries. Both these consist of silicon atoms as a component. Nonetheless, they possess distinct chemical and physical properties that render them valuable in diverse applications.
What Is Silicone?
Silicone also known as polysiloxane, is a polymer comprised of siloxane units. It is commonly found as a colorless oil or a rubber-like substance. Silicone finds wide-ranging applications in sealants, adhesives, lubricants, medicinal products, cooking utensils, thermal insulation, and more. It is available in various forms, including silicone oil, silicone grease, silicone rubber, silicone resin, silicone caulk,…
Silicone possesses an inorganic silicon-oxygen backbone chain. Each silicon center within the chain is attached to two organic groups, often methyl groups. This versatile material can adopt cyclic or polymeric structures. We can vary the –Si-O- chain length, side groups, crosslinking, etc. By synthesizing silicones with different compositions, we can achieve a broad range of properties. The consistency of silicone can range from liquid to gel, rubber, or even solid-hard plastic.
Properties of Silicone
We can list down the important properties of silicone as follows:
- Low thermal conductivity
- Low chemical reactivity
- Low toxicity
- Thermal stability
- Water repellent
- No sticking into many substrates
- No support for microbial growth
- Electrical insulations
- High gas permeability
- Resistance to oxygen, ozone, and UV light
Use of Silicone
Silicones are a common component in many products. Some of the major categories for silicone applications are as follows:
- Electrical for insulation
- Electronic for coatings
- Household items such as sealants and kitchen utensils, etc
- Cars such as gaskets
- Seals in airplanes
- Keyboard pads in office machines
- Dental impression molds and other medical and dental industries
- Coatings in paper and textiles
Advantages of silicone
Personal care items
Silicones provide a number of benefits in personal care products. They reduce antiperspirant and deodorant white residue and stickiness. They are also “long-lasting” and help preserve the color and shine of cosmetics, shampoos, and conditioners. Silicones improve shine and allow skin care products to have higher SPF levels. Cosmetics, lotions, sunscreens, and cleansers can be applied smoothly and evenly thanks to their wetting and spreading properties.
See more: Medical Grade Liquid Silicone Rubber
Energy
Silicone materials improve the efficiency, durability, and performance of solar panels and photovoltaic systems while lowering their costs. The utility of silicones for solar panels and photovoltaic applications stems from their ability to tolerate prolonged exposure to sunlight.
Electronics
Silicones are used in the production of keyboards, keyboards, copiers, and other computer, mobile electronics, and components for home entertainment devices. In addition, silicones play an important role in helping LED lighting technologies. Silicones’ remarkable dielectric properties and great temperature stability make them perfect for a wide range of electrical transmission applications.
Kitchen equipment
Silicone cookware and bakeware have a number of advantages, including a nonstick, flexible surface that does not transfer taste or odor to the food and easy cleaning. moreover, because these goods are freezer, oven, microwave, and dishwasher safe, the quality of the food is not damaged during the preparation and cleaning process.
What Is Silica?
Silica, commonly known as silicon dioxide, is a combination of silicon and oxygen, the two elements most abundant in the Earth’s crust. Silica, the primary component of more than 95% of known rocks, makes up 59 percent of the Earth’s crust.
Although it is a simplistic explanation, it is not wrong to say that silicones consist of sand. They are talking about silicon dioxide, sometimes known as silica. Silicone resins are made by using silica as a raw ingredient. Quartz and beach sand both contain almost pure silica.
Silicon dioxide molecules exhibit a tetrahedral geometry, wherein a silicon atom is surrounded by four oxygen atoms. Furthermore, silicon dioxide exists in various crystalline forms known as polymorphs, along with some amorphous variations. Additionally, it is possible to convert silicon dioxide into silicon through a reduction reaction involving carbon.
Use of silica
Silica has numerous uses in a variety of sectors. It is used to make glass and silica beads for chromatography applications. The chemical can also be used as a structural material and as an electrical insulator in microelectronics. In addition, it is a substance found in the pharmaceutical and food sectors.
Crystalline silica is widely found on construction sites in numerous industrial items such as glass, brick, and artificial stone. Silica also works as a filler in paint, plastic, and rubber. Water filtration and agriculture both benefit from silica sand. It is also used to build and maintain various sports and recreational facilities.
What is the Difference Between Silicone and Silica?
Silicone and silica are significant inorganic materials. Generally, silicone is predominantly derived from naturally occurring silica stones. The main difference between silicone and silica is that silicone is a polymeric material, whereas silica is silicon dioxide. Silicone can be easily prepared through a reaction involving silicon, oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen, whereas silica is prepared using silicon and oxygen.
Both silicone and silica find numerous applications. Silicone is widely used in the production of cake molds, cooking utensils, electrical insulation, adhesives, and more. Conversely, silica plays a crucial role in the manufacturing of glass, ceramics, optical fibers, desiccants, and other related industries.
| Silicone | Silica | |
| Definition | Silicone is a polymer consisting of siloxane | Silica, commonly known as silicon dioxide, is a combination of silicon and oxygen |
| Nature | Polymer | A Chemical Substance |
| Preparation | From the reaction between silicon, oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen | From the reaction between silicon and oxygen |
| Properties | Low chemical reactivity, Low thermal conductivity, low toxicity, thermal stability,… | High purity, heat resistance, high transparency,… |
| Use | Cake mold, cooking utensils, solar energy, personal care items, electrical insulation, adhesives,… | Manufacture of glass, ceramics, optical fibers, desiccants,… |
Thus, the article analyzes the difference between silicone and silica and synthesizes and separates the definitions and applications of each. Hopefully, after this article, you have a clear understanding of silicon and silica. If you have questions regarding silicone vs silica, please contact A1 Silicones