How is the breathability of silicone underwear?

How is the breathability of silicone underwear?
Since its unique material and design, silicone underwear has attracted more and more attention from consumers in the market in recent years. However, many consumers still have doubts about the breathability of silicone underwear. This article will discuss in detail the characteristics of silicone materials, breathability test methods, user feedback, and how to improve breathability, so as to help consumers better understand the breathability of silicone underwear.

1. Breathability characteristics of silicone materials
(I) Introduction to silicone materials
Silicone is a polymer material made of silicon dioxide, which has good biocompatibility, high temperature resistance, and aging resistance. Silicone is divided into two categories: organic silicone and inorganic silicone. Organic silicone is more widely used, especially in medical devices, food packaging, personal care products, etc.
(II) Breathability analysis
The breathability of silicone mainly depends on its internal pore structure. Inorganic silicone usually has a high porosity, which allows gas molecules to diffuse through its internal micropores. However, due to the strong intermolecular force and fewer pores, organic silicone has relatively poor breathability. In general, the air permeability of silicone is worse than most thermoplastic elastomers (such as TPE), but still inferior to traditional textile materials.

2. Air permeability test method
(I) Air permeability test standard
The air permeability test is an important means to evaluate the air permeability of fabrics, and is of great significance for the design and selection of silicone underwear. Commonly used air permeability test methods include mass method, flow method and humidity tank method. These methods evaluate the air permeability by measuring the mass or flow rate of air passing through the fabric per unit time.
(II) Test steps
Taking GB/T 24218.15 as an example, the specific steps of the air permeability test are as follows:
Sampling: Randomly select 5 samples and cut them into 100mm×100mm size.
Adjust the sample: Place the sample in a standard atmospheric environment, operate according to GB/T 6529, and adjust the humidity to a balanced state.
Install the sample: Place the sample on the test head and clamp it to prevent gas leakage.
Adjust the air flow: Turn on the vacuum pump and adjust the air flow until the pressure difference is 100Pa, 125Pa or 200Pa.
Read the air permeability value: After the pressure stabilizes, read the air permeability value in liters/square centimeter second L/(cm
2
⋅s).

(III) Test results
According to the test results, the air permeability of silicone materials is usually poor. For example, silicone invisible bras have poor air permeability due to their own materials. Long-term wearing may cause symptoms such as erythema and itching on the skin.

III. User feedback and actual experience
(I) User feedback
Many users reported that although silicone underwear has certain advantages in appearance and comfort, poor air permeability is a common problem. Some users said that after wearing silicone underwear for a long time, the skin is prone to sweating and cannot be discharged in time, resulting in increased discomfort.
(II) Actual experience
In actual experience, the poor air permeability of silicone underwear is mainly reflected in the following aspects:
Long-term wear: When wearing silicone underwear for a long time, the skin is prone to sweating and cannot be discharged in time, resulting in moist and itchy skin.
Skin contact: The silicone material is in close contact with the skin, but the air permeability is poor, which is easy to cause skin problems.
Sports scenes: In sports or sweating scenes, the lack of breathability of silicone underwear is particularly obvious.

4. Factors affecting breathability
(I) Material properties
The breathability of silicone material is mainly affected by its molecular structure and porosity. Inorganic silicone has a higher porosity and relatively good breathability; while organic silicone has fewer pores and poorer breathability.
(II) Design improvement
Although the breathability of silicone material is poor, this problem can be partially alleviated through design improvements. For example, some silicone underwear has added breathable holes or adopted a multi-layer structure in the design to improve breathability. However, the effect of these improvement measures is still limited and cannot completely solve the breathability problem.
(III) Environmental factors
Environmental factors such as temperature and humidity can also affect the breathability of silicone underwear. In a high temperature and high humidity environment, the breathability of silicone underwear will further decrease, causing skin problems to become more prominent.

5. How to improve the breathability of silicone underwear
(I) Choose the right material
When choosing silicone underwear, you can give priority to products made of inorganic silicone material because they have relatively good breathability. In addition, some new silicone materials have improved breathability by improving the molecular structure, which can also be used as a reference for selection.
(II) Design improvement
For manufacturers, the breathability of silicone underwear can be improved through the following design improvements:
Increasing ventilation holes: Adding ventilation holes to silicone underwear can effectively improve breathability.
Multi-layer structure: Using a multi-layer structure design and using materials with good breathability in the middle layer can improve overall breathability.
Optimizing fit: Properly adjusting the fit of silicone underwear to avoid too tight fit on the skin can reduce skin problems.
(III) Usage suggestions
For consumers, the following methods can be used to reduce the problems caused by insufficient breathability of silicone underwear:
Control wearing time: Avoid wearing silicone underwear for a long time. It is recommended that the wearing time should not exceed 6 hours each time.
Keep clean and dry: Wash silicone underwear regularly and keep it clean and dry to reduce bacterial growth and skin problems.
Choose the right scene: When exercising or sweating a lot, try to avoid using silicone underwear and choose traditional underwear with better breathability.

VI. Conclusion
Since its unique material and design, silicone underwear has certain advantages in appearance and comfort, but poor breathability is a problem that cannot be ignored. Through breathability tests and user feedback, it can be seen that silicone underwear has obvious deficiencies in breathability, and long-term wearing can easily cause skin problems. Although this problem can be partially alleviated through design improvements, the defect of insufficient breathability cannot be completely solved. Therefore, when choosing silicone underwear, consumers should consider its advantages and disadvantages comprehensively and make reasonable choices based on their own needs and usage scenarios. At the same time, manufacturers should continue to improve the design and material of silicone underwear to improve its breathability and comfort to meet the needs of consumers.