1、 Introduction to organic silicone leather and silicon-based materials
1. Introduction to silicon-based materials
Compounds of silicon and oxygen are almost ubiquitous on the entire Earth, accounting for 87% of the total crustal mass, and are abundant in reserves. The forms of silicon oxygen combinations on Earth include quartz, crystal, sand, granite, clay, mica, etc.
2. Formation process of silicone leather
It can be seen that the formation of silicone leather requires a process, which is the transformation of silicon from inorganic to organic, and also includes the process of bonding and coating the substrate (base cloth) with the silicone layer.
3. Structure of Organosilicon and Its Leather
Organic silicon structure
Organosilicon is composed of the main chain of - Si-O - basic units, and the side chains are connected to various other organic groups through silicon atoms. It is precisely because of this structure that organic silicon materials possess both the stability of inorganic materials and the elasticity and plasticity of organic materials.
Organic silicon leather structure
Generally speaking, silicone leather mainly consists of several layers of structure, and some may add an intermediate functional layer below the surface layer to achieve some mechanical and other properties. The microstructure of silicone leather may vary slightly among different enterprises.
Surface layer: 100% organic silicon material, which directly reflects the tactile and wear-resistant properties;
Adhesive layer: 100% organic silicon adhesive material, connecting layer functions;
Substrate: Knitted fabric, woven fabric, microfiber, genuine leather;
2、 Why is organic silicone leather considered environmentally friendly?
Do you remember last year when Xiaomi released an environmentally friendly silicone leather back cover smartphone? Official statement: The entire manufacturing process is environmentally friendly, safe, and pollution-free. Why is organic silicone leather considered environmentally friendly? Let's look at it from four perspectives~~
1. Material traceability
The current energy crisis and climate deterioration stem from the depletion of fossil fuels and the burning and disposal of carbon based materials. The source of organosilicon is silicon-based materials such as quartz sand and silica ore; The source of leather such as PU, PVC, TPE, TPO, etc. is fossil materials such as oil and natural gas; The source of genuine leather is animal skin. From here, it can be seen that the source of the material, organic silicon, is more environmentally friendly.
2. Green manufacturing
From a manufacturing perspective, taking Sibo Chemical as an example, for every 1 yard of organic silicon synthetic leather produced, the energy consumption is as follows:
Water consumption: 0kg/Y;
Energy consumption: 0.7KWh/Y, only about 2/3 of traditional leather
Carbon emissions: 0.15kg/Y, only 1/8-1/5 of traditional leather; Organic silicon waste: 100% recycling and reuse
3. Renewable/recyclable
Many materials used in the production process of silicone leather can be recycled, including waste liquid degradation and regeneration, recycling PET to create fiber based fabrics, and so on.
4. No additions
As Xiaomi previously stated when releasing environmentally friendly silicone leather phones, from the selection of raw materials for silicon ore to production, no solvents are required, no irritating odors evaporate, and there will be no allergic reactions caused by long-term contact. The additive free performance of silicone leather is manifested in four aspects:
Solvent free production process, no use of toxic or harmful chemical solvents, plasticizers, and no generation of waste gas;
The material itself is flame retardant, without the need for adding flame retardants or post flame retardant treatment processes, and no wastewater is generated;
Not using fluorine-containing materials and not containing PFOA or PFOS, which does not affect the health of living organisms;
No anti mold and antibacterial agents, does not affect aquatic organisms;
Food grade organic silicon raw material is also a non-toxic leather material.
3、 Advantages and Characteristics of Organic Silicon Leather
What are the other characteristics of silicone leather besides environmental protection?
1. Skin friendly touch
Good silicone leather has a delicate and comfortable texture.
2. Natural weather resistance
Organic silicone leather has the characteristics of resistance to hydrolysis, UV aging, salt spray, and natural aging, and will not fade or break.
3. Natural anti fouling properties
Organic silicone leather is prone to common stains in daily life, such as lipstick, red wine, ballpoint pens, coffee, orange juice, etc., which can be easily removed with neutral soap solution.
4. Natural flame retardancy
The material itself is flame-retardant and does not require the use of flame retardants. The combustion products are only a small amount of water, CO2, and SiO2.
5. Excellent heat dissipation
Organic silicone leather can achieve faster heat dissipation and ultimate coolness. The thermal conductivity of traditional leather is about 0.02w, while that of organic silicone synthetic leather is 0.2-0.3w.
6. Extremely low VOCs, continuously improving air quality
There are also wear-resistant, anti bending, scratch resistant, good mechanical strength, and so on, so I won't go into too much detail~~
4、 Application fields of organic silicon leather
According to the author's understanding, the birth time of silicone leather is relatively short and still in its early stages, but many suppliers have relatively mature solutions. Due to the high demand for genuine leather substitute materials and ideal environmentally friendly materials with carbon neutrality in various industries, the market potential of this material is very large. Not only used for mobile phones, but also widely applied in automotive interior parts, military fabrics, decorative home products, shoes and clothing, baby leather, outdoor functional leather and other fields. In the future, it can also be designed as transparent textured leather, which can be wrapped on various materials and has advantages in the freedom of CMF design of the product.