An unexpected discovery from a "failed experiment"

In 1943, the American chemist James Franklin Hyde was trying to synthesize a heat-resistant insulating material in the laboratories of the Corning Glass Company. He accidentally mixed silicone oil with quartz sand and came up with a soft, elastic, gelatinous substance.

At first, the team thought the experiment was "worthless" - because the goal was to make a hard glass material. But Hyde noticed that this new material is resistant to high temperatures, aging, non-toxic and odorless, and even in extreme environments can remain stable, he decided to continue the research.

This "failure" was the first prototype of Silicone.

The "secret weapon" of World War II.

The first large-scale application of silicone was actually related to war:In 1944, the U.S. Army discovered that rubber seals in aircraft engines would become brittle and fail at low temperatures at high altitudes, leading to fuel leaks.

Corning urgently provided silicone seals, its resistance to -55 ° C to 300 ° C characteristics of the perfect solution to the problem, became a key part of the B-29 bomber.

After the war, silicone went from military secret to civilian use, opening its "cross-border legend".

Silicone "invades" daily life.