Silicones are a diverse family of specialty, high-performance materials that includes reactive silanes, silicone fluids and silicone polymers, which are widely used in a variety of consumer and industrial products. Silicone sealant is a liquid form of adhesive. Typically, it looks, feels, and acts like a gel. It has a different chemical make-up from other organic polymer-based adhesives. Sealants are generally chosen for their ability to fill gaps, resist relative movement of the substrates, and exclude or contain another material. Sealants are generally chosen for their ability to fill gaps, resist relative movement of the substrates, and exclude or contain another material. They are generally lower in strength than adhesives, but have better flexibility. Common sealants include urethanes, silicones, and acrylic systems.
Sealants can also be used as electrical or thermal insulators, fire barriers, and as products for smoothing, filleting or faying. No matter what the application, a sealant has three basic functions:
1. It fills a gap between two or more substrates
2. It forms a barrier by the physical properties of the sealant itself and by its adhesion to the substrate
3. It maintains its sealing property for the expected lifetime, service conditions, and environments.
Silicone sealants are viscous materials that find valuable use as sealants in various industry verticals. These sealants are not the same as common adhesives; they differ in elasticity and strength. The expansion of the automotive & transportation sector and the building & construction sector in the emerging economies will offer major growth opportunities for the silicone sealants market growth. For instance, the infrastructure construction in Asia was estimated at around USD 1,030.7 billion in 2018 and is forecast to exhibit a CAGR of 8.9%, reaching USD 4,622.3 billion by the end of 2023. Increasing construction activity in the region on account of rapid urbanization and industrialization may reinforce silicone sealants market trends through 2027.
