In our daily life, TPE materials and silicone rubber materials are widely used, both of which can be used in daily necessities, personal care products, household appliances and other fields. Although there are many similarities in the due fields of these two materials, they still have their own advantages in different fields. Which is better, TPE material or silicone rubber?
TPE material:
TPE material is a thermoplastic elastomer material with high strength, high resilience, injection molding processing characteristics, wide range of applications, environmental protection, non-toxic and safe, and excellent colorability. It can be used to strengthen and toughen plastics. Self-reinforcing property is large, the formula is simplified, the influence of the compounding agent on the polymer is small, and the quality performance is easier to grasp. However, the heat resistance of TPE is not as good as that of rubber, and the physical properties decrease greatly with the rise of temperature, so the scope of application is limited.
At the same time, the compression deformation, elastic recovery and durability of rubber are relatively poor, and the price is often higher than that of similar rubber. Nevertheless, the advantages of TPE are still outstanding, and various new TPE products are also being developed. As a new type of rubber raw material with energy conservation and environmental protection, the development prospect is very promising. But now it is generally used in high-grade and transparent toys, adult products, suction cups, sports equipment and sealing rings.
Silicone rubber:
Silicone rubber refers to rubber whose main chain is composed of silicon and oxygen atoms alternately, and the silicon atoms are usually connected with two organic groups. Ordinary silicone rubber is mainly composed of silicon oxygen links containing methyl and a small amount of vinyl. The introduction of phenyl can improve the high and low temperature resistance of silicone rubber, while the introduction of trifluoropropyl and cyano can improve the temperature and oil resistance of silicone rubber.
Silicone rubber has good low temperature resistance and can still work at - 55 ℃. After the introduction of phenyl, it can reach - 73 ℃. The thermal resistance of silicone rubber is also very outstanding. It can work for a long time at 180 ℃, and can withstand several weeks or longer at a temperature slightly higher than 200 ℃. It can also withstand high temperatures above 300 ℃ instantaneously. Silicone rubber has good permeability and oxygen permeability is very high in synthetic polymers.
To sum up, we can see that TPE material and silicone rubber are not in any better situation. Both of them have their own merits, and their application fields are also slightly different. For example, TPE material is more inclined to food grade, sports equipment and wire. Silicone rubber is more used in the medical industry.
For silicone rubber, please check the details:
https://www.siliconerubbers.net/product-general-grade-htv-silicone-rubber.html 
