Canada’s automotive industry employs 159,000 people, and uses almost 3,000 tons of silicone to make transportation more efficient, safer, and more reliable. It is important that materials used in passenger and commercial vehicles perform well, even under some of Canada’s most extreme conditions. Because silicones can withstand exposure to very high temperatures, salt, and rain, they are used to protect and insulate engine parts to improve vehicle safety throughout their lifetime.

Silicones are used in almost all aspects of car assembly, from the tires to the engine, windows, and sun-roof. Highly durable, gastight fabrics are crucial to the performance of airbags so that they inflate with precise timing and pressure. This is why airbag fabrics are coated with silicone on the inside – they provide airtight seals, fabric strength, and durability, and ultimately silicones contribute to increased safety and reductions in road fatalities.

The automotive industry’s use of silicones has helped reduce the danger to the driver and passenger, as well as the costs associated with vehicle break-downs and maintenance. Lighter-weight silicone components contribute to vehicle weight reductions, resulting in increased fuel efficiency and lower emissions of various pollutants. In addition, silane-treated silica-reinforced “green” tires reduce rolling resistance, leading to fuel savings for consumers and reducing our long term use of oil.

For Canada’s shipping industry, silicone-based paints and coatings are safer alternatives to traditional marine coatings and paints. By applying these silicone-based paints and coatings to hulls of ships and boats, the buildup of dirt and film is dramatically reduced, improving fuel efficiency. For large cargo ships, this improvement is particularly important since fuel consumption is quite large.

Even very small amounts of silicones contribute to great energy savings for Canadian families and businesses. For example, silicones used in insulated glass units result in impressive benefits in terms of energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions. For every ton of CO2 emitted during the production of the silicone product, silicones actually reduce emissions by a factor of 27.7 when the insulated windows are used. Small amounts of silicone additives are also added in the manufacturing process of polyurethane foams used to insulate buildings, appliances, and equipment. These additives are indispensable for insulating materials to work effectively, therefore decreasing strain on the environment.

Silicones used in LED lighting contribute to energy efficiency improvements. LED lights currently use 90 percent less energy than conventional lighting, and could save $12 billion and reduce 60 million tons of greenhouse gases being emitted annually.

Silicones also enhance renewable energy technologies such as wind turbines and solar panels.

Wind Turbines
Wind energy is one of the fastest growing major sources of non-traditional electricity around the world, and one of Canada’s most important renewable energy technologies. Over the last five years, Canada’s wind energy capacity has grown by an average of 23 percent annually, and wind energy has been the largest source of non-traditional electricity generation in Canada. Wind energy is now the lowest-cost option for non-traditional electricity supply in most Canadian provinces.

Turbines in windy places rotate, generating electricity which is fed onto the power grid. Advanced adhesives made from silicones bind the giant rotor blades of wind turbines. From 100 meters off the ground or the sea, silicone adhesives can resist the toughest conditions and Canada’s extreme temperatures, even in the winter. They reliably keep together materials that used to be difficult to unite.

Solar panels
While silicon is used in some 90 percent of solar panels, silicones are critical to the integrity and function of solar panels as Canada seeks to solidify solar electricity as a mainstream energy source, and an integral part of the nation’s diversified electricity mix. In 2013, installations of solar electricity systems grew by nearly 60 percent over the previous year. Silicones are used within metal-filled, silicone-based adhesives which provide a reliable interconnection of solar cells – supporting high electrical conductivity and flexibility while contributing to lower material costs.

Canada’s personal care and consumer products industry sector credits $25 million in silicone sales due to silicones’ versatility and unique properties. Silicones can be found in a wide range of products, from skin creams to make-up to deodorant to shampoos and conditioners. They provide a glossy or “smooth” feel alongside processing benefits, which include transparency, lack of taste or odor, low surface tension, and low skin irritability – all factors that Canadian men and women rely on.

Silicones are also used for a number of other useful and everyday products, including household polishes, waxes, and detergents. For instance, silicone softening technology can reduce water consumption in the finishing stages of textile production by 30-50 percent (saving approximately 15 liters of water per pair of jeans).

In Canada, more than 11,000 tons of silicones are used for construction materials. Silicones bond with most materials, from concrete, glass, granite, and marble to aluminum, steel, and plastics. They are extremely durable and can resist decay caused to other materials by rough weather conditions, moisture, or sunlight. Silicone sealants can prevent humidity and hot or cold air escaping through joints and cracks, thereby making buildings more energy efficient and adding to cost savings. Their flexibility can also reduce damage from small to medium-scale earthquakes that can occur in western Canada.

Silicone sealants, adhesives, and coatings make construction materials work better and last longer. Silicone additives are added in the manufacturing process of polyurethane foams used to insulate buildings, appliances, and equipment. Sealants and coatings protect joints and materials from moisture, heat, corrosion, sunlight, ultraviolet radiation, pollution, and other chemicals.

Silicone coatings preserve monuments in Canada and across the world. Silicones also make some of the most spectacular modern architectural projects possible. For example, the uninterrupted walls of glass and metal on skyscrapers would not be possible without silicones.