Mercaptan is an organic compound also known as thiol or thioalcohol. It is commonly used as a fuel additive and odorant, as it has a strong scent that is easily recognizable even at very low concentrations. In industry, it is also used for sulfurization and as an antioxidant.
When rubber is exposed to mercaptan, it can cause the rubber to swell and deteriorate. The mercaptan can cause the rubber to become brittle and more prone to cracking, tearing and breaking. Additionally, mercaptan can cause rubber to become sticky and can cause rubber to become discolored. In extreme cases, the rubber can become completely rigid and unable to move at all.
Fluorosilicone o-rings are a hybrid of silicone and FKM resulting in great jet fuel resistance with high and low temperature performance. Also widely used in semiconductor Ashing equipment with strong resistance to oxygen plasma, FVMQ fluorosilicone o-rings also feature excellent flexibility, compression resistance, aging and sunlight resistance, and overall wide range of basic chemical resistance.
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