Silicone solutions for transport

Driving the next generation

Silicones play a critical role in getting us from A to B and smart silicone science is fueling future mobility trends, helping to boost the safety, reliability and durability of critical components over time, including in airbags coating and bonding, interior comfort and design, sensors and actuators, and headlamps design. Due to their unique properties, silicones do not deteriorate over time and ensure that transport is able to run safely and sustainably.

Safety is critical for automotive and transport applications, driven by consumer expectations and regulatory standards. Innovation in active and passive safety systems is continuous and the team at Dow is constantly striving for new silicone-based solutions in this area. For example, our silicone elastomer coatings and sealants reduce stiffness and friction in airbags, enhancing impact protection and passenger safety, while our silicone-based adhesives, protectives and conductives help minimize the response time and improve reliability of active safety systems.

Dow’s silicone innovation is at the forefront of bringing the new technologies shaping the next generation of mobility solutions; from advancing higher performing batteries, to contributing to lighter vehicles to reduce energy use and carbon emissions while enhancing autonomy and performance, allowing electronic components to run at the higher temperatures needed for future connectivity, and operating more reliably and safely to protect passengers, communities, and the environment.

Thanks to their unique properties, silicones provide essential benefits across a wide range of mobility and transportation technologies:

Advanced silicone materials contribute to reducing consumption of fossil fuels, as they enable more efficient means of transportation and accelerate the production of high-performance hybrid and electric vehicles
The unique inherent physical properties of silicone chemistry help address challenges associated with designing reliable batteries and producing at large volumes, which are key components for the next generation of vehicles
Silicone elastomer coatings and seam sealants help ensure airbag design integrity to enhance impact protection and passenger safety
Fluorosilicone elastomers are the material of choice in applications like turbocharger hose liners, o-rings, and gaskets, operating under wide ranges of temperatures and/or in contact with aggressive fluids
Silicone adhesives and sealants eliminate squeaks and rattles, strengthen bonds and enable use of advanced materials for weight and cost reduction
Engineered silicone elastomers combine strength with softness for weight and cost reductions, while retaining performance throughout the product life cycle. In the engine, silicone gaskets keep fluids and chemicals flowing
Silicone thermally conductive materials provide long-lasting protection of sensitive electronic components that dissipate damaging heat, and help manufacturers design smaller and more reliable systems to boost electrification, autonomous driving, and connectivity
Silicone lighting systems and moldable optical materials expand design options for safer, brighter and more energy-efficient lighting systems
Ships can use silicone-based marine bio-fouling control coatings to reduce buildup of organisms such as zebra mussels, barnacles, tube worms and algae, enabling them to glide through water smoothly and save fuel. This technology alone has been estimated to help saving around 126,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalent per year