Shin-Etsu Chemical advances one-component LSR

Tokyo - Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. Ltd has developed a new one-component liquid silicone rubber (LSR) that cures at room temperature by reacting with atmospheric humidity.

Branded KCP, the LSR is claimed to offer “superior combined characteristics, including heat resistance, cold resistance, weather resistance and outstanding electrical properties.”

Target applications include adhesive/sealing and coatings for products such as component parts for electric vehicles (EV), semiconductors, and electric/electronics.

Removal of the need for heating or UV equipment means the room-temperature curing LSRs will contribute to reducing environmental impact, added Shin-Etsu.

KCP products, it explained, release cyclopentanone during the fast vulcanisation reaction, so that adhesion develops quickly, giving tack-free times about half those seen with conventional LSRs.

“The odour that is generated at the time of curing is lower, and has a higher level of safety,” according to Shin-Etsu.

And, it continued, “because the ignition temperature is high, at more than 70?, the handling time and effort needed during the time of transport and storage can be reduced.”