Silicones go beyond the ordinary

A day rarely goes by when silicones don't improve life in some way. In your home, your car, at work, when enjoying yourself

From a post-it® to a food mould, from car polishes to water repellent clothing, from microchips to walls of glazing on high-rise buildings, silicones have added to the comfort, enjoyment and safety of our daily lives.

Silicones improve thousands of products. For example, silicones give personal care products the smooth, silky feeling we take for granted today. But they are also found in the space shuttle where they increase the lifespan of vital components and provide heat resistant tiles.

Some of the most spectacular applications of silicones are in today's building industry. The cupola of the rebuilt Parliament building in Berlin and the pyramid of the Louvre building in Paris are just two modern landmarks that rely on silicones.

Silicones' contribution to preserving the world's architectural and artistic heritage is also enormous.

Silicone coatings preserve monuments as diverse as the formidable statues on Easter Island, the delicate Gothic carvings of city hall in Bruges, Belgium, the cornices of Munich's Alte Pinakothek, and the ancient palaces on Capitol Hill in Rome. They are used as well to make moulds of delicate ancient bas reliefs and statues.

A small step for man. The first imprint that Neil Armstrong left on the moon was made with a silicone rubber boot sole.

Using silicones

Silicones, in their many forms, are used in:

• Construction
• Restoration
• Transport
• Personal Care
• Healthcare
• Sports & Fashion
• Paints & coatings
• Electronics
• Paper & film
• Industry
• Other