aerosil

Silicones or polysiloxanes belong to a class of elastomers and are often referred to as silicone rubber. The prevailing type of polysiloxanes is polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Development began in 1940 when Eugene G. Rochow and Richard Müller independently developed the synthesis of methylchlorosilanes directly from elemental silicon. This discovery marked the beginning of a series of important findings on a new class of materials, namely silicone elastomers. The first silicone based product was a coating for the airplane industry, presented in 1942 by Dow. Presently, silicones are used in thousands of applications. Worldwide, the market for silicone consumption shows steady growth year after year