Silicon dioxide plays a significant role in many fields

Silicon dioxide, an inorganic new material, plays an indispensable role in numerous fields. In particular, nano-silicon dioxide, with its small particle size, large specific surface area, strong surface adsorption, and excellent chemical purity and dispersion performance, exhibits unique advantages in terms of reinforcement, thickening, and thixotropy. This makes it irreplaceable in many disciplines and fields. Next, let's explore where nano-silicon dioxide can shine.

Next, we will delve into the specific applications of nano-silicon dioxide in various fields.

I. Applications in the Rubber Industry
Rubber, an elastomer with excellent elasticity, plays an important role in daily production and life. However, improving its overall performance has always been a challenge. To enhance the strength, wear resistance, and aging resistance of rubber products, the traditional method is to add carbon black to the rubber compound. However, this results in a monotonous product color and limits the overall grade. Fortunately, the emergence of nano-silicon dioxide has provided new possibilities for the innovation of rubber products. Adding a small amount of silicon dioxide to ordinary rubber can significantly improve the performance of the product, even reaching or exceeding the level of high-grade rubber products, while maintaining the color for a long time.

Silicon dioxide plays an important role in various sub-fields of the rubber industry. Its presence can be found in silicone rubber, medical rubber products, tires, rubber tubes, tapes, and everyday items such as rubber shoes, electrical appliances, and sporting goods.

II. Applications in the Plastics Industry
In thermoplastic plastics, fumed silica can effectively improve the toughness of the plastic. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it can significantly enhance toughness without reducing the material's rigidity, and can even further improve the material's rigidity.

In thermosetting plastics, such as epoxy resins, adding fumed silica can significantly improve their brittleness, overcoming the problem of reduced material rigidity and strength that may be caused by elastomer toughening, achieving a dual effect of strengthening and toughening.

In addition, silicon dioxide can also be used as a flame retardant in plastics. Its flame retardant mechanism lies in the fact that fumed silica enhances the stability of the carbon-silicon layer through a condensed-phase physical process, effectively preventing the transfer of heat and substances during combustion.

III. Applications in the Coatings Field
In photocurable coatings, filling with nano-silicon dioxide can significantly improve the hardness of the UV-cured coating and improve its heat resistance. In addition, it can also accelerate the curing speed of the UV-cured coating, enhance the hardness and adhesion of the coating, and improve the thermal stability at low temperatures.
In the field of architectural coatings, the addition of nano-silicon dioxide can significantly reduce the color difference caused by ultraviolet and infrared light irradiation, thereby enhancing the aging resistance of exterior wall coatings. At the same time, it can also significantly improve the hardness, adhesion, and weather resistance of the coating, while enhancing the viscosity and anti-settling performance of the coating, ensuring the high stability of the coating.
For inkjet printing paper coatings, incorporating nano-silicon dioxide into the pigment can produce excellent digital color inkjet printing paper coatings. This coating not only has a moderate loading but also effectively solves the formaldehyde problem, resulting in superior printing effects, and the materials are readily available and cost-effective.

In addition, adding silicon dioxide to plastic and metal coatings can also significantly improve the overall performance of the materials.

IV. Applications of Silicon Dioxide in the Ceramics Field
First, silicon dioxide is a key component of quartz ceramics and has a crucial impact on the performance of ceramics. Second, it can also be used as an additive to effectively enhance the performance of ceramics. For example, replacing nano-Al2O3 with silicon dioxide in 95 porcelain can not only exert the advantages of nanoparticles but also act as a second-phase particle, significantly improving the strength and toughness of the ceramic material and enhancing its hardness and elastic modulus, with better results than adding Al2O3.

In addition, using silicon dioxide to composite ceramic substrates can significantly improve the density, toughness, and smoothness of the substrates, while significantly reducing the sintering temperature. Furthermore, silicon dioxide has also shown significant effects in the application of ceramic filter screens, corundum balls, and other ceramic products.
V. Applications of Silicon Dioxide in Drug Carriers and Catalysis
Due to its physiological inertness and high adsorption capacity, nano-silicon dioxide is often used in the preparation of drug carriers. In the field of bactericides, nano-silicon dioxide can effectively adsorb antibacterial ions to achieve antibacterial purposes, providing new possibilities for the manufacture of products such as refrigerator shells and computer keyboards. In addition, its large specific surface area, high porosity, and abundant surface active sites make nano-silicon dioxide show potential application value in catalysts and their carriers. Using sol-gel technology, composite oxides containing nano-silicon dioxide can be prepared using nano-silicon dioxide as the basic raw material. This composite oxide, as a catalyst carrier, exhibits unique reaction performance for many structure-sensitive reactions, not only with high catalytic activity and selectivity but also maintaining its catalytic activity for a long time during the reaction.