How To Make Silicone Gel Tutorial | 10 Simple Steps

Written by Skye Rhodes Last Updated: Sep 7, 2024

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If you are confused about how to make silicone gel at home using simple steps, this article will guide you.

Silicone gel or silica gel is a widely available product in the market.

Silicone gel is used for packaging the products because it has a special ability to absorb water and hold water vapor.

Especially in the leather and food industry silica is an indispensable product to prevent the goods from getting spoiled.

The desiccant nature of this gel makes it popular in the packaging industry.

Silicone gel is a mix of silicon dioxide which is available in amorphous and porous form.

Gas, water, vacuum, or some other particles are available in the voids of silicon dioxide.

How To Make Silicone Gel In 10 Simple Steps

In this article, we will demonstrate how to make silicon gel in 10 simple steps. Let’s get right into it!

History Of Silicone Gel

Silicone gel or silica gel was a novelty to the generation of the early 1600s.

The uses and specialty of this item were not known till the time of World War I.

During the war in 1914s silica was used in the helmets of the soldiers and around the war field to suck the gas and vapors.

During World War II, keeping the penicillin dry was a huge task and silica dined the job colorfully.

High octane gasoline was possible due to the availability of silica gel.

Even the war equipment was dried out and kept running with the help of silica.

Silicone gel was even used for the production of butadiene from ethanol earlier.

The Nature Of Silicone Gel

Silicone gel is not a harmful product and that’s why you can even see silicone in food products.

The organic representation of silicon is (SiO2), and this is the exact item that you will find in quartz.

Silicone gel is extremely absorbent to moisture and can hold moisture.

It is defined that silica gel is a type of porous sand.

Silicone gel can hold 60% of moisture in its body and can reduce the humidity in a container to 40% making it a super absorbent.

The biggest advantage of silicone gel is that you can reuse it over anytime by heating it by 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Some of the silicone xerogels have a size of 2.4 nanometers and have a strong attraction towards the water.

These voids are nanometer in size and have an alternation of silicon and oxygen atoms.

Silicone also stops precipitation in electronics goods if placed in it while packing.

This stops from damaging the electronics and for safe delivery of the product.

Even the medical industry uses silica for keeping the drugs for a long time.

So you will probably find a silica gel packet in most of the products which are susceptible to spoilage.

Even in World War I/II, silicone gel was used inside the helmet of the soldiers to dry the penicillin carrying for long distances.

The ammunition of the soldiers during the war was kept dry using this silicone gel.

Top Manufacturers Of Silicone Gel

Silicone gel is extensively used in the medical industry for safekeeping drugs and transporting them all over the country.

Some of the largest exporters of silica gel are BASF, Clariant, Evonik, Solvay, and W.R Grace.

They dominate the world in the production and shipping of silicone gel.

They even have large manufacturing and shipping units in most of the counties of the world.

BASF is mainly into the sorbed which is produced by silica gel and other materials.

It is used for moisture control and absorption.

Clariant is the manufacturer of sorb-it, which is the desiccant bag of silica gel.

Evonik is a producer of Aerosil, in which crystals of silicone gel are packed up.

These products are widely used in the cosmetic industry such as inside the lipstick packets to increase stability.

Solvay produces silica gel in the name Tixosil.

It is widely used in the oral care industry around the world.

Uses Of Silicone Gel

Draining The Water Of A Wet Cell Phone

Using the silica gel, cell phones which have fallen in water can be rescued easily.

Silica gel will immediately suck the water and thus help the phone restores software.

Retaining The Razor Blades

Razor blades are easily tarnished by water presence.

Using the silicone gel packets inside the razor blade box, you can keep the blades from rusting for a longer time.

Prevents Damages Of Silverware

Silverware in the market is not pure and the quality of tents to be very low which makes it easily exposed to tarnation.

Using small packets of silicone gel will maintain the silverware from rusting.

Making Coffee Jar Moisture

It is used to put our favorite coffee powder for daily use, and moisture inside the coffee jar makes it difficult to open it.

But using a simple trick with silicone gel will keep the coffee powder-free-flowing.

Stick a small silicon gel packet inside the cap of the coffee jar, it will absorb the moisture and keep your coffee powder fresh.

Keeping Your Shoes

Silicone gel packets, which are tiny but big in use will absorb the moisture and droplets from the shoes.

Also, keep it for long use without much wear and tear.

Cleaning Car Windshield 

Silicone gel helps you to drive safely even on a rainy day with a crystal clear windshield of your car.

It is due to moisture in your car’s windshield being foggy during the rainy or winter season.

But keeping a few silicon packets over the dashboard will suck the moisture away.

Keeping Tools Free Of Oxidation

In the life of a mechanic, a lot of tool activities are common.

Keeping those tools safe and for long use is a challenge to them.

Sometimes these tools are left open to be affected by oxidation.

Using small packets of silica gel inside the toolbox helps in preserving these tools for longer use.

Conserving Engines Dry 

Engines of mini aircraft are exposed to the changing weather conditions.

It is the prime objective of the pilots to keep the engine dry so that they can have a safe flight.

Keeping silicone gel inside the carburetor keeps the engine dry and has a safe flight for the pilots.

Preserving Digital Camera

The camera is easily exposed to all types of weather conditions.

We take photos once spotting a good location, but the camera is highly exposed especially at rain and moisture.

Drying out such cameras is easy using silicone gel.

Once getting home, remove the battery and memory card before keeping the camera in silicone gel.

It will easily dry out the moisture inside the camera.

Drying The Fishing Flies

For fishermen and others interested in fishing, drying out the fishing fly once it is waterlogged is a huge task.

If it is not dried out at the right time, fishing becomes nearly impossible.

So, powdering the silicone gel and keeping the fishing flies inside those powders makes it easy for drying the fishing flies.

It is a super cool trick for you to try out.

Drying The Travel Bag

Once a rider, always a rider, and this for that particular person who loves riding.

During heavy trips, people need to carry huge travel bags and it can be condensed.

Keeping that travel bag dry, is easy using small packets of silica gel.

How To Make Silicone Gel Packets

Step 1: 

Buy a cat litter from the store, and cat litter just costs a couple of dollars in the market.

Inside the cat litter is a lot of silicone gel, to be straight an average 7-pound cat litter has about 530 silicone gel servings inside.

Step 2:

Buy some coffee filters from the store, which 10 coffee filters cost you just 2 dollars in the market.

Since coffee filters are easily available at cheap rates, it’s to make the silicon gel packets.

Step 3:

Cut the coffee filter in square or half the way you like.

After cutting the coffee filter add a handful of silicone into the coffee filter which is already cut down.

Step 4:

Fold the coffee filter around the silicone gel and could it over 4 ways.

Always staple the top direction and shake a bit before stapling the bottom direction.

After that staple, the remaining sides while keeping the packet tight so that none of the silica gel escapes.

This after completing stapling 4 sides keeps the packet on the table.

Step 5:

Another way of making silicone gel packets is by ordering the tea bags online for a reasonable price, let’s say for 1 or 2 dollars.

Step 6: 

Remove the tea powder from the tea bag, you can even buy an empty tea bag but it is difficult to get such one. 

Step 7:

After removing the tea powder, insert a teaspoon of silicone gel from the cat litter.

Shake it a few times so that it mixes well. 

Step 8:

Staple the teabag on the top portion a couple of times so that silicon doesn’t fall off from the packet.

Step 9:

Even after absorbing moisture for about 40%, if kept for drying silicone gel is reusable for an endless number of times.

Step 10:

Take an old pillow cloth and cut it into the desired shape you like.

After that add a handful of silicone gel into it and wrap up with few staples.

Your silicone gel homemade is ready.

How To Make Silicone Gel

For many microbiological experiments, it is necessary to use a medium solidified by an inorganic gel, and silicone gel is one of those mediums.

Silica gel is usually prepared from sodium silicate and hydrochloric acid.

Neutralizing this sodium silicate with hydrochloric acid brings out silica or silicone gel.

Many of the existing methods for preparing the silica are either too dangerous or unsatisfactory.

In one of the methods, the gel is allowed to sit in a Petri dish for about 24 hours and kept under running water before sterilizing in an oven.

But it doesn’t guarantee that the toxic substances can be removed using this process.

Another method used for preparing silica gel is by dialyzing a silicate acid particle through a membrane for several days.

After this process, the purified particle is filtered and is done, and fine quality of silicate gel is obtained by this process.

It is time-consuming and needs a lot of patience.

One of the easiest and result-oriented methods is by making the gel from silica sol, discarding the cations from the sodium silicate.

Step 1: 

A glass tube of about 2 feet in diameter and 3 feet tall is clasped vertically by two large clamps.

At the end of the tour, a plug of glass wool is supported by shots.

Step 2: 

A glass tube possessing a sidearm and, below, a stop-cock is put around the bung so that the lid of the tube is leveled with the top of the bung. 

Step 3: 

The tube is reprimanded with 1 marketing material, leaving 10-12 spaces at the head of the column. 

The soulcol is esteemed by backflushing with tap water through the sidearm.

This system is recited several times, sifting the water till the top of the column of soucol on each occasion.

Step 4: 

If the section segregates during the back-flushing procedure the upper quantity can be sent down.

Most adequately by a gentle rotational action’ generated by swirling the duct.

Step 5: 

The section should eventually be quite free from air bubbles.

The layer is then scrubbed with 2.1 of filtered water, retaining made specific that the flow from the combustion.

Step 6: 

The soucol is regenerated by spotting 300 ml hydrochloric acid.

The free portion above the bed and enabling it to flow at c. 50 ml./min.

When bed level is attained an additional 200 ml. of the acid is passed through it.

Step 7: 

Ultimately the section is rinsed with 2 1. or more of filtered water until the effluent is exempt from chlorides, and sifted to bed level.

At any moment either moisture or acid drains down the bed phase. 

It is essential to back-flush to eliminate air bubbles and reproduce processes.

Step 8: 

The engagement of sodium silicate utilized relies on the objective.

So, the commodity is composed sol in the most satisfactory for widest and objectives.

Concentrations vastly bigger than 8 to SiO, should be averted because the bed may evolve gelled.

Step 9: 

Tepid sodium silicate 78/80 degrees is diluted to an engagement of 812 g./3 1 filtered.

The water and the antidote are sent to the bed at a speed of 100 ml./min. heat first 500 ml. of the consisting mainly of water, is omitted.

The bed is then completely seeped.

Step 10: 

If it fits alkaline the base exchange capability of the bed is tired out, possibly because the soucol was not properly completed.

As the improvement of cations will influence the gelling particles of the solution.

So, it is reasonable to remove any alkaline sol or sols polluted with ch cations. 

The bed is then back-flushed and all air bulges eliminated, washed down with 2 1. of cleaned water, seeped to bed level, and regenerated.

The solution elicited should be faultlessly apparent and nearly blind.

An examination of a capable sol indicated the additional entities, expressed as p.p.m.: organic matter (as C), 185; Ca, 15; Mg, 10; Pb, 8; Zn, 41; Cu, < 1; P,Os, 2. 

Preparation Of Media 

The only problem in using the silicone sol in bacteriological agencies is the analysis of the period compelled to gel and preparation of media.

As gelling relies, among other stuff, upon the courage of the sols, climatic conditions, and the essence and engagement of the material to be expanded.

It is not feasible to state specifically the technique of educating any unique forum. 

Tiny examination packets should be made until reasonable conditions have been inferred for establishing the gel within the compelled period. 

The solution has a preliminary pH value of c. 8-0, is overall of at least 3 weeks and evolves increasingly murky with a warehouse.

It can be disinfected at 15 lb. pressure in an autoclave without influencing its gelling properties, but this undertaking reduces the harshness appreciably.

The solution cannot, nevertheless, be modified to pH 7.0 and thereafter disinfected, because this method eradicates the gelling power.

Also, if the solution has not been appropriately exempted from cations it will gel during autoclaving.

Although gelling can be attained by adding the conventional salts existing in peptones and core excerpts.

Procedure

The procedure is sluggish, and it is advisable to govern the gelling period with a suitable quantity of sodium chloride. 

If attractive, an ammonium gel can be constructed by the expansion of ammonium compounds such as (N H4, S0).

When immediate gelling is not compelled, as in the making of ramps, stab cultures, or for the inoculation of the ground of agencies in Petri plates.

The addition of 0.1% NaCl will allow peptone-yeast to extract medium to gel in approximately 2 hr. when the SiO, abundance is 1-5 %. 

When sheet tallies are to be accomplished, gelling is expected within 10-20 min. 

The attention of NaCl needed may be as great as 0-5 yo, but this will depend upon the essence and engagement of the components.

Such as reasonable intermediate including observable quantities of distinct salts, etc.

It is crucial to disinfect the silica sol individually from the components of the agency.

To ready a liter of any middle, the total abundances of salts and other components are melted in 250 ml. of filtered water and diversified to the mandatory pH value.

The quantity of N-NaOH required to adjust 750 ml of the derailed sol is deduced.

This amount is subtracted as abundance to the 250 ml of treatment comprising the components.

The two sterilized forms are different, and the essential percentages pipetted into blocked disinfected ducts to Petri dishes.

When colony scores are made, the amounts can vary, adequate for 3-4 plates.

Findings Of The Media Preparation

Very reasonable findings have been attained by readying 15 ml. of sol and 5 ml. of nutrients individual in examination ducts.

The cadenced percentage of liquid is positioned in the Petri dish and differs from the sol.

The nutrients are then expanded, and after thorough mixing, the dish is authorized to live for 1 hr.

Expect no drying and can be reversed in the incubator in the conventional attitude.

For scores in milk, dirt, or contaminated moisture, it should be feasible to integrate the NaCl in the dilution juice and thus eradicate the threat of the gelling before use.

For semi-solid media as ha1 SiO, the content of 0-5-0-7 is reasonable; for slopes, the engagement should be at least 2.5 %. 

The easy mood in which silica solution can be generated, its peace warehouse, and autoclaving.

Requesting that, with imagination, the microbiologist can see silica solution for many objectives in the cultivation of micro-organisms.

My Petri dish losses in rehearsal have consistently been due to the output of an in-correct sol.

Either by the design of a sodium silicate additional than the denomination asserted above or of a bored bed of soucol. 

It should be reported that protection has been documented in Britain for the output of silica sol.

By a path through carbonaceous base-exchange equipment by the National Aluminate Corporation of America. 

Final Thoughts

How to make silicone gel, which is a tiny little particle in size with gigantic uses in nature, is so much helpful for our everyday activities.

The absorption of moisture and other water particles in large quantities helps in protecting our day to day products.

Silicone gel packets can be made in large quantities with a packet of cat litter bought from the market.

What makes silicone gel more attractive is this tiny little shape and cheap price but may cause health hazards if choked by the babies

Keeping these packets inside the car, helmet, suits, dresses, shoes, etc., helps safe usage for a long time.

Even the pills or smartphones can be retrieved using silicone gel packets, and hopefully, this article helps society to know more about the uses of silicone gel.