Silicone rubber is an important medical polymer material, mainly used in the field of medical catheters. The aging process of my country's population drives the demand for medical silicones, and the market share of high-end medical equipment is gradually expanding. In addition, the development of the medical beauty industry and artificial organs provides room for growth in the proportion of medical silicones in medical polymer materials.
According to the calculation of CITIC Securities, from the perspective of the overall medical/personal care silicone market share, the medical/personal care silicone market will be around 4.5 billion yuan in 2020, and it is expected that the medical silicone market will reach 18 billion yuan in 2025. 5-year CAGR of 20.99%.

Silicones play an important role in various body functions and are directly related to the absorption of minerals. The average human body has about seven grams of silicon, which far exceeds other important minerals such as iron. Silicon is necessary for the human body and plays a very important role in maintaining normal metabolism.

Due to its inertness and excellent biocompatibility, silicone materials have unique and irreplaceable advantages in medical applications, and are being used by more companies in the medical field. From infusion tubing, cochlear implants, prosthetics to orthodontic dental molds, wound care, etc., silicone materials are actively protecting human health in various forms.

01.Performance introduction

biological properties
Bioactive silicone is an essential nutrient for the human body. Silicone is an important element that constitutes human tissue and participates in metabolism. It exists in every cell of the human body and serves as the support for cell construction, and at the same time helps the absorption of other important substances such as magnesium, phosphorus, and calcium. The human body can only continuously obtain silicones through food.
Scientists believe that silicones exist in the human body mainly in three forms:
(1) Soluble silicone, 10% by weight;
(2) Thirty percent exist in various cell matrices;
(3) 60% is used to synthesize protein, which shows that the organic silicon we need every day is quite high.
If you want to stay young for 5 years, 10 years or even 30 years, it is especially important to consume 20-30 mg of silicone per day.
Temperature resistance
Silicone products are based on silicon-oxygen (Si-O) bond as the main chain structure, the bond energy of CC bond is 82.6 kcal/mol, and the bond energy of Si-O bond is 121 kcal/g in silicone Therefore, the thermal stability of silicone products is high, and the chemical bonds of the molecules are not broken or decomposed under high temperature (or radiation exposure). Silicone is not only resistant to high temperatures, but also low temperatures, and can be used in a wide temperature range. Whether it is chemical properties or physical and mechanical properties, the change with temperature is very small.
Weather resistance
The main chain of silicone products is -Si-O-, and there is no double bond, so it is not easy to be decomposed by ultraviolet light and ozone. Silicone has better thermal stability, radiation resistance and weather resistance than other polymer materials. The service life of silicone in natural environment can reach several decades.
Low surface tension and low surface energy
The main chain of silicone is very flexible, and its intermolecular force is much weaker than that of hydrocarbons. Therefore, it has lower viscosity, weaker surface tension, lower surface energy, and stronger film-forming ability than hydrocarbons of the same molecular weight. This low surface tension and low surface energy are the main reasons for its many applications: hydrophobicity, defoaming, foam stabilization, anti-sticking, lubrication, glazing and other excellent properties.

02. Silicone for the body

maintain bone growth
Osteoporosis is one of the characteristics of human aging. Our bones are weakened due to the constant loss of calcium from our systems, and taking calcium supplements alone is not enough to stop this threat and disease. Because the human body needs the help of organic silicon to absorb and utilize these inorganic calcium.
For osteoporosis, silicone can relieve pain and even restore the body's ability to repair itself. Osteoporosis is the most common disease in postmenopausal women, and data show that fractures are responsible for more deaths than breast, cervical and uterine cancers combined.
Osteoporosis, usually due to the loss of calcium around the bone protein, causes the bones to thin, and gradually, the nutrients in the bone matrix are also lost, causing the cavity to expand. So even within the normal stress range, there is the possibility of bone fracture. Therefore, it is a very important repair method to mineralize the calcium ingested in the human body into the bones. It is suggested that organic silicon should be supplemented properly every day in order to better deposit phosphorus, magnesium and calcium into the bones, especially for the absorption of calcium.
connective tissue
Connective tissue is composed of collagen, elastin, mucopolysaccharides, carbohydrates and other substances. Around these tissue cells, moisturizing mucus is also needed. With them, it is possible to make tissue cells elastic and vibrant, and to prevent aging. Studies have found that silicones account for a large proportion of these mucous macromolecules, which are like a kind of "glue" that firmly binds collagen together. So if there is a sufficient amount of silicone in the human body, then more collagen will be bound together, and the people and organs will become younger on a macroscopic level.
With the aging of the human body, various connective tissues lose nutrients and become stiff, resulting in the decline of human tissues because they cannot get enough nutrients. Silicone can help slow the degenerative process of these connective tissues.
promote hair growth
Hair is the most natural beauty adornment. In addition to protecting the scalp, healthy hair is also a magic weapon to improve attractiveness. It has been found that there are 90 micrograms of silicone per gram of hair, which is close to the 100 micrograms per gram of bone. Silicone is an important factor in hair growth and strength.