Recently, a leading domestic enterprise in special silicon materials announced that its independently developed photothermal synergistic catalytic polymerization of ethyl silicone oil production line has been officially put into operation, marking China's breaking of the long-term monopoly of overseas enterprises in the field of ultra-high purity and narrow molecular weight distribution of ethyl silicone oil, and achieving full chain localization replacement of aerospace, precision optics, and medical implant grade products.
According to the project development leader, traditional ethyl silicone oil adopts acid-base equilibrium polymerization process, which has poor molecular weight controllability, insufficient batch stability, and high residual low molecular weight rings, making it difficult to meet the strict requirements of semiconductors, polar equipment, and implantable medical devices. This new process adopts a two-stage synthesis: photo induced low-temperature ring opening to suppress side reactions, thermal control chain extension to accurately control viscosity, matched with continuous vacuum distillation purification system. The low ring recovery rate of the finished product exceeds 90%, with metal impurities Fe ≤ 2ppm and Na ≤ 1ppm. The volatile matter at 150 ℃ is stable below 0.12%, which is in line with the high-end product standards of Germany's Wacker and Japan's Shinetsu.
Performance test data shows that the pour point of the ultra-low temperature special ethyl silicone oil produced by this production line is as low as -115 ℃, and it still maintains liquid flow in an environment of -130 ℃, which is much better than the use limit of ordinary methyl silicone oil at -60 ℃; Under long-term high temperature conditions of 200 ℃, the thermal weight loss is only 1.3%. It has excellent lubrication, insulation, and oil solubility compatibility characteristics, and can be adapted to high-end scenarios such as aerospace low-temperature valve lubrication, polar scientific research instrument damping oil, AI computing power liquid cooling medium, endoscope lubrication coating, etc.
According to statistics from the China Fluorosilicon Association, the import volume of high-end ethyl silicone oil in China will be 18600 tons in 2024, with an import amount exceeding 1.2 billion yuan. The external dependence on ultra-high molecular weight and modified special models will exceed 60%. The new production line has an annual design capacity of 8000 tons, which can reduce the import of high-end materials by nearly 300 million yuan per year after it is put into operation. The enterprise has synchronously implemented green transformation, resulting in a 68% reduction in VOC emissions throughout the entire process and a 23% reduction in energy consumption per unit product compared to intermittent processes, which meets the national standards for green manufacturing of new materials.
Industry experts have stated that this technological breakthrough has filled the gaps in organic silicon special materials, and with the full implementation of the national standard "General Technical Conditions for High viscosity Ethyl Silicone Oil" (GB/T 43876-2024), the domestic ethyl silicone oil industry will shift from the low-end universal additive track to the ultra-high purity customized high-end material track. The average annual growth rate of demand in the aviation, new energy, and medical fields is expected to exceed 12% in the next five years.