What is Conductive Silicone Rubber? Learn it from silicone and conductivity!

Silicone is a common raw material on the market, not only with stable chemical properties, but also performs well in high temperature resistance and insulation, so it often appears in tableware, medical supplies and other fields. But did you know that silicone, although an insulator, can also be transformed into a conductive silicone rubber through special processing! But how is this achieved? Follow our steps now to learn more about it!

〈Extension Reading:What You Should Know About Silicone Rubber? 〉

What is conductive silicone rubber? How is it formed?

The conductive silicone rubber is known as the "zebra strip/connector " in the industry. It is made by stacking multiple layers of "conductive silicone" and "insulating silicone" through hot pressing. Its black and white appearance gives it the name of zebra strip. It is commonly used to connect two independent electronic components and can be seen in many industries. You may wonder why the conductive silicone rubber has conductivity? Let's take a look at more detailed information about conductive silicone together!

Raw materials required for conductive silicone:

In order to transform the insulating silicone into conductive silicone, we add reinforcing filler, conductive additive (acetylene black), structural inhibitors, and vulcanizing agents during the curing of the silicone. This enables the originally insulating silicone to have the effect of conducting electricity and becoming conductive.

Production steps of conductive silicone:

How is conductive silicone made? We know that regular silicone is formed by high-temperature vulcanization of silicon, therefore, conductive silicone is made by adding reinforcing agents, conductive additive (acetylene black), structural inhibitors, and other raw materials during hot curing process, allowing the silicone rubber to be filled with conductive material. In such a way that electricity can be conducted through carbon. Basically, the "carbon" or other conductive material in the silicone is the real conductor, not the silicon itself, giving conductive silicone its conductive properties.

Common materials for conductive silicone rubber include:

Here are four types of conductive silicone rubber currently available on the market: GSI, GSI2, GSS, and GSG. We can distinguish them by their appearance, hardness, and distance between carbon layers. Let's take a closer look at the differences between them.

〈Extension Reading:What is silicone zebra connector and how they made? 〉

GSI

GSI conductive silicone rubber is the foundation of all conductive silicone strips. It is formed by layer-by-layer hot pressing of conductive silicone and insulating silicone. It can conduct electricity in four sides, and has a hardness of up to 65°, making it the hardest among all types of conductive silicone rubber. Usually, GSI is used for PCB modules with non-conductive plastic frames.

〈Product Introduction: Silicone Zebra Connector - GSI Type〉

〈Extension Reading:Cultivating a Deeper Understanding of Silicone Hardness 〉

GSI2

GSI2 conductive silicone rubber can be seen as an improved version of GSI. The main reason is that some workpieces require a "non-conductive" effect on both sides, so we will place white insulating paint on the left and right sides of the GSI2 conductive silicone rubber to achieve insulation. The application range is basically similar to GSI type, so normally it is purchased according to different needs.

〈Product Introduction: Silicone Zebra Connector – GSI2 Type〉

GSS

The design of GSS conductive silicone rubber is similar to GSI2. It is covered on both sides with a transparent solid insulating silicone layer to encase the conductive layer in the middle, which can provide a more uniform electric direction and avoid short circuit problems caused by "signal interference". The GSS conductive silicone rubber is generally used in PCB modules with sufficient assembly space and a metal (iron) frame.

〈Product Introduction: Silicone Zebra Connector – GSS Type〉

GSG

GSG conductive silicone rubber is designed with a dual-layer sandwich structure, similar to the GSS conductive silicone rubber. The only difference is that the insulating layer of GSG is made of silicone foam and colorant for differentiation. GSG is lightweight and has a smooth surface, making it easier to assemble than the GSS type.

〈Product Introduction: Silicone Zebra Connector – GSG Type〉

Comparison of Common Conductive Silicone Rubber

Customized conductive silicone rubber - odd zebra stripe

Odd zebra stripe is a customized zebra connector, which is also a difficult and complex item to make. It can not only design the appearance according to customer needs but also, based on the type of selected material, apply it with compression or injection molding techniques.

How to choose a conductive component? Comparison of three commonly used components.

In addition to conductive silicone rubber, which can be used as a conductive component between LCD and circuit boards in the market, there are two other types that can be considered as well: flexible flat cables (FPC) and connectors (Connector). But how do you choose the right one? Below, we will provide a detailed analysis and comparison of these three types of conductive components to help you determine the right one for your product. 

Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC)

Flexible Printed Circuit is also known as flexible circuit board. It is ideal for devices such as smartphones, tablets, and computers due to its small size, light weight, and moreover, adaption to the circuit direction based on the device requirements and space. However, with its limited elasticity and easily broken characteristics, it is not suitable to apply in large workpiece or equipment since it will be bent inside the device for a long time.

Connector

Compared to conductive silicone rubber and FPC, connectors are more geared towards the concept of control consoles. For example, if we input "Code A" into a device, Code A will enter the connector through the transmission line, and then the connector will send instructions to device A. Connectors have a wide range of applications in the market, from communications, information, consumer goods, military and aviation industries. However, since connectors can only serve as a transmission station and cannot conduct on their own, a complete system must be constructed, which can result in higher costs.

Conductive silicone rubber

Conductive silicone rubber is made by laminating layers of conductive silicone rubber and insulating silicone rubber and then hot pressing them together. It can connect two independent electronic components to conduct electricity. It has the characteristics of tear resistance, impact resistance, abrasion resistance, and corrosion resistance, and furthermore, it is inexpensive and does not require soldering, making it widely used for conductivity between LCD and PCB circuit boards.

Comparison of advantages and disadvantages of common conductive components

Where can conductive silicone rubber be used?

The inexpensive and durable characteristics of conductive silicone rubber are not only widely used in the field of LCD and PCB circuit boards, but as the bridge of electronic components. They are also currently used in TV panels, mobile phone screens, precision instrument screens, sports equipment screens, and solar energy equipment. In addition, its presence can also be seen in the automotive industry, medical industry, industrial field, and consumer electronics industry. Let's take a look at how conductive silicone rubber are flexibly used!

〈Extension Reading:Conductive Silicone Strips: The Ideal Choice for Efficient Conductive Solutions 〉

Automotive industry

Due to its characteristics of impact resistance, abrasion resistance, and high temperature resistance, conductive silicone rubber can be very flexibly used in the automotive industry. Common examples include car audio display screens and precision instrument panel screens.

〈Application: Versatile applications in the Automotive industry 〉

Medical Industry

We all know that silicone is safe, non-toxic, and has good biocompatibility, so it is widely used in the medical field. Conductive silicone rubber are inexpensive and have good conductivity, making them useful in miniature medical devices. The blood glucose meter display screen is a perfect example of this.

〈Extension Reading: Medical Grade Silicone: How to define it?〉

Industrial field

In the precision industrial field, the assistance of conductive silicone rubber is indispensable! For example, it is not recommended to choose FPC which are not impact-resistant, but should consider durable and abrasion-resistant conductive silicone rubber when operating precision instruments such as control panel displays, hand-held instrument panels, etc., in order to avoid affecting the product life due to environmental factors.

〈Application: The small part with a big role〉

Consumer Electronics

Consumer electronics is also a common application area for conductive silicone rubber. This includes electronic timers, computer displays, video game screens, and exercise equipment screens, etc. Why not consider to use FPC instead that is cheaper? The reason is similar to the industrial sector, which is durability! The electronic devices we usually use are inevitably subject to collisions, and using more durable conductive silicone rubber can ensure the quality of the products.

Conclusion

Conductive silicone rubber is currently a more economical and practical conductive component. It is not only cheap and durable, but also requires few installation processes, making it a circuit material suitable for many industries. Choose conductive silicone rubber from GSUN! We have a complete and one-stop production system to help you solve functional problems. We can also provide suggestions for product design to enhance competitiveness. If you have any needs, please feel free to contact us.

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