How is silica used in everyday life?

Apr. 29, 2024

The chemistry of silica and its potential health benefits - PubMed

There is considerable interest in the effects of silica on human health in contrast to prior research which focused solely on the toxic effects of inhaled crystalline silica. However, multiple forms of silica exist in nature and silicon, a component, is the second most prevalent element after oxygen. Silica has widespread industrial applications including use as a food additive, i.e., anti-caking agent, as a means to clarify beverages, control viscosity, as an anti-foaming agent, dough modifier, and as an excipient in drugs and vitamins. Chemically, silica is an oxide of silicon, viz., silicon dioxide, and is generally colorless to white and insoluble in water. When associated with metals or minerals the family of silicates is formed. There are several water soluble forms of silica referred collectively to as silicic acid (ortho, meta, di, and tri-silicates), which are present in surface and well water in the range of 1--100 mg/L. Orthosilicic acid is the form predominantly absorbed by humans and is found in numerous tissues including bone, tendons, aorta, liver and kidney. Compelling data suggest that silica is essential for health although no RDI has been established. However, deficiency induces deformities in skull and peripheral bones, poorly formed joints, reduced contents of cartilage, collagen, and disruption of mineral balance in the femur and vertebrae. Very little toxicity data exist regarding aqueous silica consumption due, in part, to the lack of anecdotal reports of toxicity and general presumption of safety. However, a few rodent studies have been conducted, which indicate a No Observed Adverse Effects Level (NOAEL) of 50,000 ppm (mg/L) for dietary silica. In conclusion, many forms of silica exist in nature and compelling data support myriad beneficial effects of silica in water.

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14 applications of silica in daily life

Silica, also known as hydrated silicon dioxide, has a chemical formula of SiO2 nH2O. It is a white, non-toxic, amorphous fine powder inorganic silicon compound with porosity, high dispersibility, light weight, and good chemical stability. It has excellent properties such as high temperature resistance, non-flammability, and good electrical insulation, and has been widely used in many fields such as plastics, rubber, paper, coatings, dyes, and inks.

On the other hand, due to the presence of active silanol on the surface of silica, silica is hydrophilic and difficult to infiltrate and disperse in the organic phase, making it unusable in some special fields. However, the modified silica has greatly broadened the application field of the product due to the improved surface activity.

Let's take a look at which industries silica is favored by.

01 Application in tires

Silica is used as a reinforcing agent, and the largest amount is used in the rubber field, accounting for 70% of the total. Silica can greatly improve the physical properties of the compound, reduce the hysteresis of the compound, and reduce the rolling resistance of the tire without losing its wet skid resistance. In the rubber industry, carbon black is a very effective reinforcing agent, but its biggest disadvantage is that it cannot be used to prepare colored products. Ultra-fine silica is used as a reinforcing filler for the production of green tires. It can replace carbon black in the sidewall, which can significantly increase the tear strength and crack growth resistance of the sidewall, but has no obvious effect on the vulcanization time. It is resistant to ozone. Aging is dependent on antioxidant and silica levels. Adding silica to the tread rubber of the tire can improve the cutting resistance and tear resistance of the tread, and reduce the jumping and falling blocks. Compared with the ordinary carbon black filled rubber compound, the rolling resistance of the silica filled compound can be reduced by 30%.

02 Application in defoamer

Fumed silica generally has two types of products: hydrophilic type and hydrophobic type. Among them, the hydrophobic type is obtained by surface chemical treatment of the hydrophilic type. Now the defoamer manufacturers generally use the hydrophobic type of fumed silica. Use the hydrophobic groups on its surface to attract the hydrophobic end of the surfactant in the foaming system, so that the hydrophobic solid particles become hydrophilic, thereby reducing the concentration of surfactants in the foam, promoting foam bursting, and improving defoaming speed.

03 Application in paint and coating industry

Silica can be used as a rheological additive, anti-sedimentation agent, dispersant aid, and matting agent in the production of coatings to thicken, prevent sedimentation, thixotropy, and matting. Moreover, it can also improve the weather resistance and scratch resistance of the coating, the adhesion strength between the coating and the substrate and the hardness of the coating, the aging resistance of the coating, and the ultraviolet absorption and infrared light reflection characteristics.

04 Applications in electronic packaging

By fully dispersing the surface-active treated fumed silica in the silicone-modified epoxy resin encapsulation matrix, the curing time of the encapsulation material can be greatly shortened (2.0-2.5h), and the curing temperature can be lowered to room temperature , so that the sealing performance of the OLED device is significantly improved, and the service life of the OLED device is increased.

The addition of fumed silica reduces the process of electronic device packaging that required special environments in the past to room temperature conditions, greatly reducing production costs and shortening the curing time of packaging materials, greatly improving production efficiency and reducing production costs. It will promote the popularization and application of the new generation OLED display technology.

05 Application in Plastics

Silica is also often used in new plastics. Adding a small amount of silica during plastic mixing will have a significant reinforcing effect and improve the hardness and mechanical properties of the material, thereby improving the processing technology and product performance. In addition, silica has the characteristics of small particle size and high light transmittance, which can make plastics denser and increase the transparency of plastics.

06 Application in Ceramics

Adding fumed silica instead of nano-Al2O3 to 95 ceramics can not only play the role of nanoparticles, but also the second-phase particles, which not only improves the strength and toughness of ceramic materials, but also improves the hardness and elasticity of materials. Modulus and other properties, the effect is more ideal than adding Al2O3. Using fumed silica to compound the ceramic substrate not only improves the compactness, toughness and smoothness of the substrate, but also greatly reduces the sintering temperature. In addition, the application effect of fumed silica in ceramic products such as ceramic filters and corundum balls is also very significant.

It is understood that its porosity can also be used as a carrier to load Ti, Ag or Cu ions, etc. and added to ceramic materials, which can have an antibacterial effect, thereby preparing antibacterial ceramic sanitary ware.

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07 Application in paper industry

In the paper industry, fumed silica products can be used as paper sizing agent, which can improve the whiteness and opacity of paper, and can improve oil resistance, abrasion resistance, hand feeling, printability and gloss. It can also be used for printing paper, which can make the paper surface quality good, the ink stable, and the back without cracks. It can also be used in azide paper to produce excellent blueprint paper, which can be used in coated paper to replace titanium dioxide. Adding 1-2% fumed silica products can reduce the weight of the paper, and the paper is thin, which can improve the strength, prevent ink penetration, and make the printed text clear and increase the opacity.

08 Application in toothpaste

Precipitated silica is currently the main variety of abrasives used in toothpaste. Precipitated silica has a large specific surface area, strong adsorption capacity, many adsorbed substances, and uniform particles, which is conducive to improving transparency. Because of its stable properties, non-toxic and harmless, it is a good raw material for toothpaste. The refractive index of silica is 1.45-1.50, which is very close to the refractive index of other ingredients in toothpaste, so when mixed together, it acts as a transparent agent. This property is used to create transparent toothpaste, a feature not found in any other abrasive.

09 Application in cosmetics

Non-toxic, odorless, easy to color and other excellent properties of silica make it widely used in the cosmetics industry. Silica is used in skin care products and cosmetics to give the skin a smooth and soft feel ("ball bearing effect"), resulting in a "soft focus effect" that evenly distributes light on the surface of the skin, making it less prone to Skin wrinkles and blemishes are perceived. In addition, the thixotropy of silica can prevent pigment from settling, and can be used in products such as lipstick and nail polish.

10 Application of white carbon black in rubber shoes

Silica has high blackness and fine particles. The vulcanizate made of transparent silica has high transparency and can improve the comprehensive physical properties of the rubber. Therefore, silica is widely used as a main reinforcing filler in high-end leather shoes and sports shoes. Among the sole making materials, especially in transparent and translucent sole rubber. Improves the wear resistance, hardness, tensile strength and tear strength of the sole.

11 Applications in the pharmaceutical industry

Silica has been widely used in pharmaceutical preparations due to its physiological inertness, high absorption, dispersibility and thickening properties. French researchers found that adding a small amount of fumed silica to drugs such as ranitidine, methamine, and pirenzepine would change their fluidity; adding griseofulvin to drugs such as A small amount of fumed silica can change its dissolution rate, that is, change the dispersibility and absorption of insoluble drugs in water; adding a small amount of fumed silica to the powder containing aspirin will change the antistatic properties of the powder. sex.

As an absorbent and dispersant, silica can also be used in the production of western medicine tablets such as vitamin C; in the production of medical capsules, adding a small amount of silica can act as a carrier. According to the editor of China Powder Network, Japanese researchers found that adding a small amount of white carbon black to the formula of polyethylene packaging materials can be made into a sterile packaging film for medical articles.

12 Application in ink

Silica is also used to control the flow of printer ink so that it does not flow or sag randomly for clear prints. In beverage cans, it controls the use of high velocity spray coatings. Fumed silica is also used as a dispersant and flow control agent in toner cartridges for copiers and laser printers.

13 Application in Pesticides

Silica is used in herbicides and insecticides in pesticides. Adding a small amount of fumed silica and precipitated silica to the mixture of two common herbicides, dinitroaniline and urea, will prevent the mixture from agglomerating. Adding a small amount of fumed silica to the granular insecticide formula will more effectively control and prevent harmful organisms from being produced. Silica can also be used as an absorbent for pollutants in the soil, absorbing pollutants in the soil.

14 Application in daily necessities

Food packaging bags added with silica can keep fruits and vegetables fresh. Silica can also be used as a high-efficiency fungicide to prevent and treat various diseases of fruits; in the production of wine, adding a small amount of silica can purify beer and prolong the fresh-keeping period. In the woven fabric containing vinyl chloride, adding a small amount of fumed silica will change its performance, and silica acts as a matting agent. It only stays on the surface of the braid and does not penetrate the weave.

It is understood that silica still has important applications in other fields. For example, silica can also be added to aviation silicone rubber as a special heat-resistant additive to improve its high temperature resistance; silica can also be used as an absorbent for pollutants in the soil to absorb pollutants in the soil; in the field of building materials , adding nano-silica and natural zeolite to self-compacting mortar can reduce the penetration of chloride ions into self-compacting mortar, thereby improving the mechanical properties and durability of self-compacting mortar.

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