Fillers for polysiloxane (silicone) elastomers

Polysiloxane elastomers having the structure [SiRR'-O-](x), have long been used as high-performance materials, but only when reinforced with relatively large amounts of filler. This has generally been silica that had been prepared either in the gas phase or in aqueous solution. The present review describes some alternative fillers that have been developed more recently for a variety of polymers, with some comments on their possible advantages and disadvantages. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.