Significance of silicon

Contents
Introduction
History
Properties
Applications
• In textile
• In medical
• In plants
• In human health

Introduction
Silicon
 Chemical element (its symbol in chemical formula expressions is
"Si") second most common element in the Earth’s crust. Silicones
are a family of materials that include siloxanes, sand silanes,
silicic acid & Polydimethylsiloxanes.

History
 In 1811, Gay-Lussac and Thénard are thought to have
prepared impure amorphous silicon through the heating of
recently isolated potassium metal with silicon tetrafluoride.
 In 1824 Jöns Jacob Berzelius first isolated and described as
an Amorphous elemental silicon.
 The name silicon derives from the Latin silex or silicis,
meaning “flint” or “hard stone.

Polymeric organosilicon
 Silicones are polymeric
organosilicon compounds
containing Si−O−Si
linkages and Si−C bonds.
They are generally very
stable, because of the
presence of strong silicon-
oxygen and silicon-carbon
bonds.

Properties
 Low conductivity, thermal stability, chemical reactivity and
toxicity.
 Inertness & microbial resistance.
 They can be formulated either to resist or absorb water.
 Resistance to oxygen, ozone, and ultraviolet (UV) light.
 Elasticity, tensile strength & automotive industry (external
gaskets, external trim)

Applications
TAXTILE
Fabric process
As a coating agent
As softener

Fabric production
Polydimethylsiloxanes use as a reduction of
•Coefficient friction
•Fiber breakage
•Fiber melting

Coating
 Hydrophobic silica particles were prepared by co‐hydrolysis
and co‐condensation of tetraethylorthosilicate under an alkaline
condition in the presence of a fluorinated alkyl silane and into
a PDMS solution also containing FAS to form a coating
solution.

Benefits
• Anti‐sticking,
• Contamination prevention,
• Water repellency
• Self‐cleaning function
• Oil‐water separation
• Energy conversion
• Dyeing
• Inflammation
• Reducing fluid resistance.

Functionalization of coating in textile

As softener
 Amino-functional groups like CH2-CH2-CH2-NH-
CH2-CH2-NH2 in acidic conditions are quaternized
to cationic species (NH3
+) which have a stronger
attraction for the negatively charged fabric and
functional polymers using a platinum catalyst.
 By microemulsion process silicon polymer use
to increase the
Physical adsorption
Softening
Hydrohilicity

In Medical
Elastomers
Silicone polymers can form three dimensional networks
through the formation of bonds between adjacent chains a
process known as "cross-linking."

Silicone elastomers
 Silicone elastomers also incorporate "filler“
extends and reinforces the matrix
increased strength and hardness
 Catheters &shunt
 Extracorporeal equipments
 Valves coating
 Aesthetics implants

In plants
• Silicon can decreases heavy metals toxicity created by
increasing the pH through a detoxification process
• Si covalently bind with heavy metals
and form an unstable silicate form.
Easily degraded to silicon dioxide (SiO2 )
• Si play impotant role in intercellular
and extracellular parts of plants’ cells

Continue..
 Silicon promote photosynthesis by favorably exposing
leaves too light.
 Decrease Abiotic and biotic stress
 Salinity
 Toxicity
 Silicon is added to plants as a fertilizer, which can be use
in the liquid or solid state (e.g. Silifert, Nitrosil),

In human health
 Silicon are found in various foodstuffs, particularly
monocotyledons such as grain, and in all natural waters.
 Silicon is co-located with calcium in the asteroid tissue and
some interactions between these elements were suspected to
occur in processes of bone growth and mineralization.
 Silicon is required for parenchymal tissues, connective tissue
and bone metabolism .
Deficiency of silicon cause
• Osteoporosis
• Arthrosclerosis

Conclusion
Silicon is widely used in medicine ,textile ,automotive
construction material due to stability ,least reactivity
and tensile stress. Research is being done on silicones
for having further human applications.

Significance of silicon

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