ABSTRACT
Silicones were first prepared by Professor Frederic Stanley Kipping in 1904, who described the materials as “sticky messes of no particular use” [1]. In spite of his doubtfulness, Kipping and his coworkers continued the research for the next 40 years. Based on Kipping’s work, industrial research on silicones began during the 1930s at Corning Glass Works and General Electric, which then led to the birth of the silicone industry in the early 1940s [2]. The first silicone product, Dow Corning® 4 Compound, was introduced in 1942. The product was used as a grease to coat the ignition wire harnesses of Allied airplanes during World War II. Following the war, the silicone industry shifted its focus to new applications and launched the first civilian product, a silicone-in-water emulsion, used as a tire release agent [2]. During the next 70 years, silicone materials blossomed into a global business. According to market report, worldwide silicone consumption reached 1.7 million tons in 2012 with an average annual growth of 6% during the 2007-2012 period [3]. The market is projected to continue to grow in the near future.
