Why Apple chooses liquid silicone?
You'll notice that the official iPhone case is made of liquid silicone.
So, what made Apple choose liquid silicone to make the case?
Keep reading below and you'll get the answer.
To save your reading time, we'll put the answer first, and the details of liquid silicone will come later.
1. Soft feel and comfortable grip
As the above information shows, liquid silicone has a translucent, clear appearance. Therefore, by using this material, the iPhone case gives you a soft and smooth feel in your hand. The glossy surface also keeps the iPhone case free from scratches and fingerprints. In addition, the iPhone case is made of lightweight liquid silicone to ensure a comfortable and firm grip on your iPhone.
2. Impact and drop protection
Part of the reason Apple uses liquid silicone as the primary material for iPhone cases is because of its flexibility. Liquid silicone is made up of a silicon dioxide and oxygen backbone called a polysiloxane chain. This chain creates longer bonds, resulting in a very flexible polymer.
So by using liquid silicone as the primary material for the iPhone case, the case can be more flexible and tougher, providing strong protection against sudden drops, bumps, and shocks.
3. Water and Moisture Resistant
The water resistance feature is also the reason why Apple chose liquid silicone as the material for iPhone case. A smartphone or other mobile device is something we carry around with us at all times. When we are around water, we always want the phone we carry with us to be waterproof. iPhone cases are made of waterproof liquid silicone to protect iPhone from water and moisture.
4. High security
Liquid silicone is chemically resistant because it is an inert chemical material. Therefore, iPhone cases made of liquid silicone are oil, solvent, acid and alkali resistant and durable enough to protect your phone.
Many times liquid silicone is also used as a baby pacifier, etc.
5. Electrical insulation
Liquid silicone is a natural electrical insulator. This dielectric property allows iPhone cases made of liquid silicone to insulate wires, data cables, and nearby outlets, providing a safe iPhone user experience.
6. Safe and durable in overheating or other extreme temperatures
As mentioned earlier, liquid silicone is stable even in extreme temperatures. In the temperature range of -100°C to 300°C, the material retains its original shape and other physical properties. On the one hand, this property keeps iPhone cases and phones from overheating and burning. On the other hand, it allows for a more durable iPhone case.
Of course, nothing in the world is perfect
Liquid silicone also has disadvantages
For example.
Absorption is too strong It gets dirty easily
Not scratch resistant
High density, poor thermal conductivity
You can choose according to your needs.
The following is the detailed introduction of liquid silicone.
What is liquid silicone?
Liquid silicone, also known as liquid silicone rubber, is a versatile silicone polymer consisting of silicon, carbon, hydrogen and oxygen at the elemental level. At the molecular level, this silicone polymer contains silica and oxygen backbones, unlike the vast majority of polymers made from carbon backbones. Liquid silicone rubber, when classified more specifically, can be considered an elastomer.
Liquid silicone has proven to be a high-value material for a variety of industries and applications, such as medical devices, household products, food contact and kitchenware, high-precision industrial components, apparel, and cosmetics. Due to its gel-like properties, it is most commonly used to make molds of rubber, resin, foam, and metal for a variety of industrial products.
What are the properties of liquid silicone?
The reason for the high value and use of liquid silicone in many industries is its special favorable properties. It is these properties that make them more reliable than other materials across the entire range of parts in many industries and applications.
1. Stable in extreme environments
Part of the reason for the high value of liquid silicone in so many industries is its stability in extreme environments such as heat, fire and cold. The typical operating temperature of fully cured liquid silicone is -100°C to 300°C, making it heat, fire, and cold resistant over this temperature range.
2. Chemical resistance and inertness
Another characteristic of liquid silicone is its chemical resistance, which makes it the most popular material for a variety of applications over other manufacturing materials. Liquid silicone, made from a silicon-based backbone, is an inert chemical material and is therefore hypoallergenic and does not react with other chemicals.
Chemical resistance also means that liquid silicone is biocompatible and non-toxic, so it is safe for items that need to remain in contact with food and medical devices.
You can see it used in kitchen items such as baking pans, cupcake liners, rubber spatulas and more. You can see it used in baby care products, such as bottle nipples.
3. Natural electrical insulator
Liquid silicone is also a natural electrical insulator that insulates wires, data cables, and other electrical components. The dielectric properties make it an ideal material choice for electrical applications, especially consumer electronics.
4. Water resistance
Liquid silicone is also water resistant due to its chemical structure containing hydrophobicity, water repellency and methyl groups. This property makes it an excellent choice for electrical products or products related to electricity.
In short, liquid silicone is a special material that fulfills all the properties that a strong material should have. Thanks to its flexibility, stability, translucency, thermal conductivity, non-conductivity and fast curing ability, liquid silicone is a valuable material for a variety of industries and applications.
