有机硅Silicone

Si–O 键能约 452 kJ/mol，高于 C–C 键（约 346 kJ/mol），所以耐热氧化性好，可在 −60 至 250 °C 长期使用。Si–O–Si 键角宽（约 143°）且旋转能垒极低，链非常柔顺，PDMS 的玻璃化温度约 −125 °C，是已知最低的高分子之一。外露的甲基使表面能低、憎水，黏度随温度变化很小。

The Si–O bond (about 452 kJ/mol) is stronger than C–C (about 346 kJ/mol), giving good thermal and oxidative stability and long service from −60 to 250 °C. The wide Si–O–Si angle (about 143°) and very low rotation barrier make the chain extremely flexible; PDMS has a glass transition near −125 °C, among the lowest of any polymer. Exposed methyl groups give low surface energy and water repellency, and viscosity changes little with temperature.

1901 年起英国化学家基平系统研究有机硅化合物，误以为其类似酮而命名为 silicone（silicon + ketone），这一名称沿用至今。1940 年代美国康宁公司的海德和通用电气的罗乔推动其工业化；1941 年罗乔发明由硅粉与氯甲烷直接合成甲基氯硅烷的“直接法”（米勒-罗乔法），奠定了有机硅工业基础。

From 1901 the British chemist Frederic Kipping studied organosilicon compounds systematically and, mistakenly thinking them ketone-like, named them silicones (silicon + ketone), a name that stuck. In the 1940s Hyde at Corning and Rochow at General Electric drove their industrialisation; in 1941 Rochow invented the direct process (Müller–Rochow process) that makes methylchlorosilanes from silicon and chloromethane, the foundation of the silicone industry.

硅油用作消泡剂、润滑剂、护肤品和洗发水成分；硅橡胶用于密封圈、烘焙模具、医用导管和植入物、婴儿奶嘴；硅树脂用于耐热涂料和电子封装；室温硫化硅橡胶是建筑密封胶。PDMS 也是微流控芯片的常用材料。环状低聚物 D4、D5 因环境持久性受到监管关注。

Silicone oils serve as antifoams, lubricants and ingredients of skin and hair products; silicone rubbers make seals, bakeware, medical tubing and implants, and baby teats; silicone resins go into heat-resistant coatings and electronics encapsulation; room-temperature-vulcanising silicone is a building sealant. PDMS is also a standard material for microfluidic chips. The cyclic oligomers D4 and D5 face regulatory scrutiny for environmental persistence.