Part.01 Introduction

In the industrial sector, fluorosilicone rubber, due to its exceptional corrosion resistance and acid-alkali resistance, is often selected as the production material for key components such as valve seals, ensuring the efficient and stable operation of production equipment. According to the latest "2024-2029 Fluorosilicone Rubber (FVMQ) Industry Market In-depth Research and Investment Outlook Forecast Analysis Report" published by the Xinsijie Industry Research Center, with the booming development of industries such as automobiles and aerospace, the market demand for fluorosilicone rubber, as a basic raw material, continues to grow. Against this background, the fluorosilicone rubber market has witnessed rapid development and continuous expansion in scale. It is estimated that by 2026, the global fluorosilicone rubber market size will reach $320 million.

Fluorosilicone rubber, also known as γ-trifluoropropylmethyl polysiloxane, is an organosilicone elastomer with modified side chains. In its molecular chain, 0.2% to 0.4% of vinyl siloxane is usually introduced for copolymer modification. This material exhibits a colorless, transparent, high-viscosity plastic linear high-molecular-weight polymer form, with a main chain consisting of silicon and oxygen atoms and side chains containing methyl, vinyl, and trifluoropropyl groups, with a molecular weight ranging from 500,000 to 800,000.

Part.02 Core Characteristics

Compared to methyl vinyl silicone rubber, fluorosilicone rubber demonstrates superior performance in oil resistance, solvent resistance, and chemical resistance. Even when compared to fluororubber, its oil and solvent resistance are comparable. Under the same conditions of medium, temperature, and time for immersion testing, fluorosilicone rubber exhibits exceptional durability, becoming the only elastomer capable of tolerating non-polar media within the temperature range of -68°C to 232°C. Additionally, fluorosilicone rubber performs well in resistance to methanol-containing gasoline. Even in gasoline/methanol mixtures, the hardness, tensile strength, and volume change of vulcanized rubber are minimal. After a 500-hour long-term immersion test, its physical properties remain almost unchanged.

The high-temperature decomposition process of fluorosilicone rubber is similar to silicone rubber, mainly including side chain oxidation, main chain scission, side chain thermal decomposition, and various composite reactions. Since its decomposition products also lead to main chain scission, its heat resistance is generally slightly lower than silicone rubber. At 200°C, fluorosilicone rubber begins to undergo oxidative aging. However, by adding a small amount of thermal stabilizers (such as iron, titanium, and rare earth oxides), its heat resistance can be significantly improved, maintaining sufficient heat resistance even at 250°C. Although temperature has a greater impact on fluorosilicone rubber than silicone rubber, it is less than that on fluororubber. Foreign research shows that under conditions such as 150°C × 2000 hours, 175°C × 5000 hours, and 200°C × 4000 hours, the service life of fluorosilicone rubber is second only to methyl vinyl silicone rubber.

Similar to ordinary silicone rubber, fluorosilicone rubber also exhibits good low-temperature performance. Since its main chain is composed of flexible Si-O bonds, its low-temperature characteristics are superior to fluororubber, which has a C-C main chain. In particular, fluorosilicone rubber has outstanding low-temperature characteristics with a brittleness temperature as low as -89°C, while the brittleness temperature of general fluororubber is about -30°C.

The electrical properties of fluorosilicone rubber are similar to those of ordinary silicone rubber, with minimal changes under harsh conditions such as high and low temperatures, humidity, oil, solvents, chemicals, and ozone. Although its radiation resistance is moderate, its radiation aging resistance is superior to methyl vinyl silicone rubber. At the same time, fluorosilicone rubber exhibits excellent weathering resistance, maintaining excellent performance even after five years of exposure. In an ozone environment, whether subjected to dynamic or static testing, fluorosilicone rubber does not show cracking or fissuring. Additionally, it has good mildew resistance, physiological inertness, and anticoagulant properties.

Fluorosilicone rubber combines the advantages of fluororubber and silicone rubber, possessing excellent resistance to polar and non-polar solvents and oils, and can be used long-term within the temperature range of -55°C to +200°C. Therefore, it is widely used in products such as oil-resistant tubes, belts, sealing strips, O-rings, oil seals, and pipes for conveying acid and alkaline media, playing an important role in industries such as the automotive industry, aerospace industry, petrochemical industry, electronics and communications, precision instruments, and medical and health care.

Part.03 Application Fields

Aerospace Industry: The applications of fluorosilicone rubber in the aerospace industry include diaphragms for pressure regulation piping in fuel tanks, diaphragms for fuel tank ventilation valves (these diaphragms use fluorosilicone rubber coating and polyester fabric as the skeleton material and can be used in kerosene vapor at -55°C to 200°C and RP kerosene at 150°C), static seals, and dynamic seals.

Automotive Products: In the automotive industry, fluorosilicone rubber is widely used in key components such as fuel level sensor hoses, atomizer fuel pump diaphragms, fuel pump diaphragms, corrugated sleeves, rear crankshaft seals, cylinder gaskets, fuel pump seals, fuel tank cap gaskets, fuel tank filler gaskets, and fuel filter seals.

Other Applications: Fluorosilicone rubber is also used to manufacture seals resistant to fluorochlorinated oil, fluorobrominated oil, trichlorobiphenyl, H2S solutions, and liquid nitrogen.

Part.04 Conclusion

In practical applications, the performance of fluorosilicone rubber is influenced by various factors, including production processes, formula design, and the use environment. Therefore, when selecting and using fluorosilicone rubber, it is necessary to comprehensively consider its performance characteristics and relevant technical requirements according to specific needs and application scenarios.