RTV silicones stay flexible from roughly minus 60 to above 200 C and resist weather, which makes them the choice for gasketing, potting, sealing electronics and bonding where movement and heat matter more than strength. Acetoxy grades release acetic acid with a vinegar smell and can corrode copper and some metals; neutral-cure grades release alcohol or oxime instead. Strength is low compared with structural adhesives.
Use the neutral RTV on the controller lid, the vinegar stuff will eat the copper traces.
Check whether an RTV is acetoxy or neutral cure before it goes near electronics or bare copper; the vinegar smell is the giveaway.
Also heard as
- RTV silicone
- silicone
Related terms
Moisture cure
A cure triggered by humidity in the air or on the parts, used by silicones, urethanes and silane polymers.
LSE
Low surface energy, describing plastics and coatings that most adhesives cannot wet or bond without help.
MS polymer
A silane-modified polymer that moisture-cures into a flexible, paintable, isocyanate-free adhesive-sealant.
Creep
Slow, continuing deformation of an adhesive under a constant load, which can end in failure over time.