1901–44
Kipping
Frederic Kipping named silicones, thought them useless oils.
Silicone did not arrive as a finished commodity. Kipping / Rochow 1940s around United Kingdom / US still explains who makes it and which tests it sits in.
Ten dated points, five eras and three milestones below are the spine — not a complete industrial history.
Where it began
Kipping / Rochow 1940sUnited Kingdom / US
Timeline
1901–44Kipping
Frederic Kipping named silicones, thought them useless oils.
1940Rochow–Müller
Direct process: CH3Cl + Si → methylchlorosilanes.
WWIIIgnition sealing
Military need funded Dow Corning and GE.
1943Dow Corning
Joint venture industrialised fluids and rubbers.
1960sMedical tubing
Physiology liked the inertness — later controversy on implants.
1970sRTV sealants
Construction joints.
1990sLSR injection
Liquid silicone rubber for baby and auto.
2000sLED encapsulants
Optical silicones.
2010sImplant litigation hangover
Regulatory caution, not a chemistry rewrite.
2020sEV gap fillers
Thermal interface silicones in battery packs.
The eras
WWII
Ignition sealing
Military need funded Dow Corning and GE.
1960s
Medical tubing
Physiology liked the inertness — later controversy on implants.
1990s
LSR injection
Liquid silicone rubber for baby and auto.
2010s
Implant litigation hangover
Regulatory caution, not a chemistry rewrite.
Milestones
Dow Corning
1943Joint venture industrialised fluids and rubbers.
LSR injection
1990sLiquid silicone rubber for baby and auto.
EV gap fillers
2020sThermal interface silicones in battery packs.
Knowing this timeline is how to read a mill certificate without treating Silicone as timeless.
Keep exploring
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