Dow silicones shaping smarter, safer mobility

That new vehicle—the electrified model with the connected applications, driver assist technology and in-cabin infotainment systems—needs just the right parts with just the right materials.

And you can bet that silicone is right there. In fact, it's just about everywhere.

"It is really exciting," Jeroen Bello, Dow Consumer Solutions' global marketing director for Mobility and Transportation, said of the new mobility transition. "Because what we see is … three to four times more silicone content (going) into the EV vs. the ICE."

A major reason for that uptick in demand? The batteries themselves.

Silicones are playing a key role in battery development, particularly when it comes to safety. The thermal conductive properties are proving to be essential as OEMs and battery makers seek solutions for managing thermal runaway.

"The moment the battery catches fire, you cannot stop it; it is a runaway," Bello said. "What you want to do is prevent it from going to the next cell, so you can control it. But if you cannot control it, you want to delay it, so you have five minutes' time to get out of the vehicle so you and your family can get to safety."

Silicone foams, particularly, have proven to be among the most effective solutions for battery protection, Bello said. And Dow already offers the kind of solutions that allow battery manufacturers and OEMs to design and manufacture safer BEVs.

But just as the industry continues to innovate its way forward in the new mobility evolution, so too, is Dow.

And that is why the materials solutions and chemistry company works so closely with its partners during the design phase.

"The batteries are on the early S-curve. In the early phase of the technologies, you have very different battery designs. You have people trying to design new and novel ways," Bello said. "And that is very exciting for us to engage with the battery makers the OEMs.

"In a design phase, we can understand through the design what is the right adhesive, the right thermal conductive material, foam for battery fire protection to help them design the right batteries and choose the right material," he said.

"And if we do not have the material—we have all the capabilities. We have a big R&D team, formulating expertise, application expertise and then we have all the infrastructure to do testing. And if we see we have gap in our portfolio, we can bring those needs back and say, 'hey, we can tweak this formulation or we can do something fundamentally new.' "

Making mobility smarter
Dow already has proven its material expertise with silicones, and that's evident, Bello said in electrical applications.

"Where you see power electronics, there is a great adoption of silicones," Bellow said. "From a housing to close the lid to thermally conductive adhesives, gels and thermally conductive materials.

"Because what we see here is more heat—higher heat—higher voltage. That is why you need materials for adhesive and sealants," Bello said. "You need materials for thermal conductivity. If you have a printing board that is getting very hot, you have to have a silicone with thermal conductive properties to dissipate the heat."

Yes, Bello said silicones, with their thermal conductive capabilities, can help keep the hottest technologies, just a little bit cooler.

"Other materials will not function because this can go up to 175 or 200 degrees, so silicone really is the material of choice."

Technology may be heating up. But it's making mobility a little bit smarter, too.

The automotive industry is moving closer and closer to autonomous technology with the adoption and advancements of advanced driver assistance systems. Radar, lidar, back-up cameras, lane assist—all of these things adding to vehicle safety.

And silicone is there to help.

Silicones, Bello said, also are bridging that gap between safety and entertainment.

"What is very important there, from a silicone innovation perspective—if you have a radar at very high frequency in your vehicle you are going to have 5G with all the entertainment, the kids want to play on the display, you have the supercomputer—you are going to have electrical interference, electrical magnetic interference," Bello said.

This he said, is where silicones play yet another key role. Because when the right material is matched to right adhesive, it can allow for better electronic performances, too.

A better, safer user experience

The new mobility transition goes far beyond electric propulsion or cars that drive themselves. It's about the overall experience of being in the vehicle.

And that, too, is changing, bringing with it more opportunities for elastomers—silicones in particular.

Over time, as "driving" become less of a focus, the experience of being inside the car will change. The focus becomes more on social, the function as much about infotainment as travel.

Already this shift is taking shape in the form of larger, curved screens and dashboard displays. And this is one application where silicone has great potential.

"In the cockpit, you are going to have more and more infotainment systems. So, the big dash boards," Bello said. "If you look at the display (today), it is more rectangular. In the future it will be curved, or it is already starting to be curved. In order to have it curved, you have to have silicone adhesives to be sure that it works properly.

"In the past, they have used some organic material, but because of the UV you could see it start yellowing. So you need something that doesn't yellow, that will perform over the lifecycle and have UV resistance and has properties for the curving."

You need a material, Bello said, like silicone.

A material that can help create better user experiences while also finding applications that keep passengers safe.

Yes, Bello said, silicone can do that, too. Think: airbags.

To address the shift to a more social experience OEMs are likely to reimagine seating. Instead of facing forward, for instance, all seats could be interior facing. And adoption of designs like these would require new approaches to safety, particularly, Bello said, with the airbags.

"Most likely we will have more three-dimensional, more complex airbags, and therefore you need new innovation from a silicone as well that the silicone goes on to the fabric to make sure you have the pressure retention, non-flammability all of these types of properties. So that is a traditional application that is still innovating into the EV that people might not think about."