Hydrogen containing silicone oil, also known as hydrogen containing polysiloxane, is a liquid of polysiloxane with active Si-H bonds on its molecular chain. It appears as a colorless, transparent or slightly yellow oily liquid. It is insoluble in water, but can be completely miscible with organic solvents such as toluene, xylene, and gasoline. The core value of hydrogen containing silicone oil lies not in what it can do on its own, but in its ability to bring other silicone rubbers to life.

In the additive liquid silicone rubber system, hydrogen containing silicone oil plays the role of a crosslinking agent. The Si-H bonds on its molecular chain, activated by platinum catalyst, can undergo hydrosilylation reaction with the Si-CH=CH ₂ groups on vinyl silicone oil. The two bite precisely like gears, and the liquid adhesive quickly crosslinks into an elastomer within seconds to minutes. Without hydrogen containing silicone oil, vinyl silicone oil will always be a flowing liquid and cannot be turned into silicone buttons, seals, or baby pacifiers in your hands.

The performance of hydrogen containing silicone oil is determined by three parameters: hydrogen content, viscosity, and molecular structure. The hydrogen content is usually between 0.1% and 1.5%. If the content is too low, the cross-linking is insufficient and the product becomes soft and sticky; If the content is too high, the cross-linking will be excessive, the material will become hard and brittle, and even surface "whitening" phenomenon may occur. The viscosity range is extremely wide, ranging from 5 mPa · s to 5000 mPa · s. Low viscosity is suitable for precision sealing, while high viscosity is suitable for structural sealing.

Hydrogen containing silicone oil also has an easily overlooked function - it is the core raw material of silicone defoamers. Si-H bonds react with water to generate hydrogen gas, and bubbles rupture during their ascent, thereby achieving defoaming. This is also why hydrogen containing silicone oil is equally indispensable in fields such as textile printing, coatings, cosmetics, etc.

In summary, hydrogen containing silicone oil is the quietest "hero" in the world of silicone rubber - it does not appear on the ingredient list of the final product, but determines whether the product can be molded and how long it can be used.

Regarding liquid silicone rubber, please refer to our website for details: IOTA Liquid Silicone Rubber