Silicone

What does Silicone mean?

Available as fluids, sealant-adhesives, mouldable resins, and rubbers, silicone are silicon-containing polymer materials that have found wider industry use because of their strength.

When the first silicone oil was made in the 1870s, its insensitivity to both high and low temperatures was noted, but were still unused.

The first silicone rubbers were invented in 1943, and in the 1950s silicones were developed commercially for the aerospace and electronics industries.  Some fields, such as construction, heavily used the material and fluid silicons are used in garment finishing, to give a smooth handle to fabrics.

Heddels explains Silicone

Liquid silicone, created from sand and silica, is used for dry cleaning. It is not only environmentally friendly, but also does not react with any of the fabrics or dyes during the process, and is thus gentler on garments.