Silicone is more expensive than most rubber types because it is a speciality high performance polymer with outstanding qualities. It is made in relatively low quantities and requires expensive and complicated primary manufacturing facilities.
Reason for silicone is so expensive: Silicone is a polymer, or to put it another way, a remarkable elastomer with interesting qualities even at high temperatures, making it unique and superior to other rubbers. Premium quality rubber, or simply premium rubber, is the name given to silicone.
Rubber is less resistant to heat, chemicals, fungi, ultraviolet light, and ozone. Because silicone has a higher heat resistance than natural rubbers, it can be used to complete insulation more efficiently. Silicone has a longer life expectancy than elastomers.
The very simple reason behind silicone's rapid increase in price is due to supply chain issues. Granted, these supply issues are grappling most industries at present, but the adhesive and sealant industry are especially feeling the effects. Some of the raw materials that make up silicone are in very short supply.
Silicone has excellent resistance to weathering and UV, and is often found in outdoor applications such as door and window seals. In contrast, natural rubber weathers very quickly and is not suited to outdoor applications. If your application involves exposure to the elements, silicone is the better choice.
Silicone lasts approximately four times longer than rubber while its price is around twice the price of rubber. Therefore, using silicone may save financially in long-term.
One of the major disadvantages of silicone rubber is its poor tear strength. This can be improved with the addition of other ingredients, but it doesn't naturally offer strength or abrasion resistance, so the application needs to be carefully assessed for the suitability of silicone as a solution.
Silicon Is Inexpensive
Silicon is the second most abundant element on the earth's crust after oxygen. Although pure silicon is rare, materials like silica (SiO2) are readily available in plain view at the beach or other sandy environments.
Silicone is more durable than plastic, but it's not as flexible. It can't be molded into different shapes. Silicone is also more expensive than plastic.
Silicone is a type of synthetic rubber made by modifying the naturally-occurring chemical element of silicon. Due to this modification, silicone rubber is resistant to heat, fungus, and chemicals. On top of that, silicone rubber stands up well against ozone and intense UV rays.
Technically, silicone could be considered part of the rubber family. But, if you define plastics widely, as we do, silicone is something of a hybrid between a synthetic rubber and a synthetic plastic polymer.
Silicone rubber is an elastomer (rubber-like material) composed of silicone (which itself is a polymer). Silicone contains 'silicon', together with carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Silicone rubbers are widely used in industry, and there are multiple formulations and speciality types.
Did you know that silicon prices can be around $10 to $500? Their cost depends on certain factors that include the demand and supply, the silicon wafer's quality grade, and the economy. If you plan on using silicon wafers for your next project, it's best to stay on top of silicon's price trends.
Silicone rubber is more expensive than other synthetic and natural rubber variations due to its superior thermal stability and environmental resistance as well as its lengthy production process.
Essentially silicone costs more due to the high energy costs associated with its manufacture (conversion of sand to high purity silica, then further refinement of silica before the chemical reactions that polymerise it), there are also a number of expensive components needed during the manufacture of silicone (copper ...
Crunching Silicon Numbers With Silicon
The PVinsights page tells me high-quality solar silicon in China currently costs $29.40 US per kg, while average-grade is less than $2 cheaper at $27.63 US.
The most common 2-D material replacing silicon is graphene. Graphene is an allotrope of carbon consisting of a single layer of atoms arranged in a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice.
Causes. The global chip crisis is due to a combination of different events described as a perfect storm with the snowball effect of the COVID-19 pandemic being the primary reason for accelerating shortages. Another contributing factor is that demand is so great that existing production capacity can't keep up.
There isn't a simple explanation for the global shortage of silicone rubber. It's about changes in supply and demand, pandemic-related problems with shipping/logistics, manpower, and raw materials.
It's the cheapest material with these properties, which makes it the most popular choice for semiconductors. It's also used in the PC and smartphone industry. Besides electronics, silicon is found in a variety of everyday products and is the main component in most building materials.
Why Is Silicone A Safe Choice? While not a “100% natural” material like rubber, food-grade silicone is a non-toxic polymer mostly made from silica (sand). It can withstand heating and freezing without leaching or off-gassing, hazardous chemicals – unlike plastics, which contaminate food in these environments.
Can silicone be submerged in water? Yes, silicone is not adversely affected by prolonged submersion in either fresh or salt water.
One of the biggest limitations of natural rubber is its poor resistance to hydrocarbons, fats, oils, and greases. Contact with these substances can cause swelling, softening, or complete dissolution of the rubber part resulting in partial or complete failure.