As a highly active inorganic material, silica has become an ideal filler for the reinforcement and modification of silicone rubber (a type of silicone) due to its special surface properties, and has a significant effect on improving the anti-aging properties of silicone. The following is a study and analysis of the improvement of the anti-aging properties of silicone with silica:

1. Mechanism of action of silica

Improved thermal stability:

Silica mainly combines with the Si-O bond on the main chain of silicone rubber or the hydroxyl group on the end group to make the thermal movement of the silicon oxygen main chain and O2 difficult to diffuse in the silicone rubber network.

When silicone rubber undergoes thermal oxidation decomposition under high temperature conditions, the free radicals generated react with the Si-O bond on the silica and are consumed, thereby improving the heat resistance and antioxidant properties of silicone rubber.

Enhanced antioxidant properties:

Silica can capture the free radicals generated during the oxidation of silicone rubber and prevent chain growth reactions, thereby improving the high temperature resistance and antioxidant properties of silicone rubber.

2. Specific effects of silica on the anti-aging properties of silicone

Improvement of hardness and strength:

The addition of silica can increase the hardness, strength and wear resistance of silicone. The improvement of these properties helps silicone resist the erosion of the external environment during long-term use, thereby extending its service life.

Improvement of crack resistance:

By enhancing the mechanical properties of silicone, silica helps reduce the cracks caused by stress concentration during the use of silicone, thereby improving its crack resistance.

Improvement of aging resistance:

Under harsh environmental conditions, silica can significantly improve the anti-aging properties of silicone, making it more adaptable to adverse environments such as high temperature and humidity.

3. Optimization of the amount of silica added

The effect of the amount added:

The amount of silica added needs to be optimized. Too much silica will cause the fluidity of silicone to deteriorate, reduce its processing performance, and may also cause the volume of silicone to expand, making it hard and degraded.

Too little silica will not be able to fully exert its reinforcing effect, resulting in no obvious improvement in the performance of silicone.

Optimization strategy:

The optimal amount of silica added is determined through experiments to maximize the anti-aging performance of silicone while ensuring the processing performance of silicone.

4. Practical application and prospects

Application field:

Silica has been widely used in silicone products such as silicone seals, silicone tubes, silicone pads, etc. These products play an important role in the fields of electronics, automobiles, medical care, etc., and have strict requirements on the reliability and service life of the products.

Prospects:

With the advancement of science and technology and the development of industry, the performance requirements for silicone products will become higher and higher. As an effective anti-aging agent, silica will have a broader application prospect in silicone.

In summary, silica significantly improves the anti-aging performance of silicone by improving its thermal stability and antioxidant properties. In practical applications, it is necessary to reasonably control the amount of silica added to maximize the anti-aging performance of silicone while ensuring the processing performance of silicone.