How I met your elastomers: from network topology to mechanical behaviours of conventional silicone materialsElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5ra06965c

Silicone elastomers are available in different formulations that are mainly discriminated by their crosslinking mechanisms. Different chemical networks lead to diverse mechanical behaviours. This work aims at comparing three types of conventional silicone elastomers, one Liquid Silicone Rubber (LSR), one High Consistency Rubber (HCR) and one, thermoplastic, hydrogen bonded cross-linked elastomer (TPE). Each one is studied and compared in terms of network microstructure versus mechanical behaviour. Main silicone elastomer formulations with different crosslinking chemistries are compared in terms of network structure versus mechanical properties.