Budding period: the foundation of technology in the 1940s and 1950s
The application of silicone softeners in the Western textile industry began with technical exploration in the 1940s. In 1940, American chemists first tried to impregnate fabrics with dimethyldichlorosilane and found that it could give fabrics a certain degree of waterproofness, but there were problems such as stiff hand feeling and easy detachment of the film layer. In 1945, General Electric Company of the United States successfully developed a fabric treatment technology that combines waterproofness and breathability by soaking fibers in an alkaline aqueous solution of sodium methylsiliconate and combining it with a heating process, but the hand feeling was still not ideal.

In the early 1950s, Dow Corning Corporation of the United States made a key breakthrough: the use of polysiloxane containing Si-H structure and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) in combination made the treated fabrics feel significantly softer while maintaining waterproofness. This technology marks the birth of the first generation of silicone softeners (dimethyl silicone oil type), which are directly applied through mechanical emulsification, but due to the lack of active groups, they have defects such as poor wash resistance and easy demulsification and bleaching oil. They are mainly used in basic fields such as spinning oils.

Development period: Function iteration and industrial penetration from the 1960s to the 1980s
In the 1960s, Western companies began to systematically improve the performance of silicone softeners. Dow Corning of the United States launched the second-generation silicone emulsion with hydroxyl capping, which forms a network cross-linked structure on the surface of the fabric through a metal catalyst, significantly improving wash resistance and stability, but the problem of single function remains to be solved.

In the 1970s, with the breakthrough of polysiloxane modification technology, the third generation of silicone softeners came into being. General Electric of the United States, Wacker of Germany and other companies have developed modified silicone oils with multiple functions such as softness, antistatic and hydrophilicity by introducing active groups such as amino, epoxy and polyether groups. For example, amino-modified silicone oil gave fabrics a smooth feel through amino hydrocarbon groups, becoming the mainstream of the market at that time; polyether-modified silicone oil introduced water-soluble groups to solve the water repellency problem of traditional silicone oil, promoting the widespread application of silicone softeners in sportswear, home textiles and other fields.

Mature period: Green and intelligent transformation from the 1990s to the present
Entering the 21st century, the demand for silicone softeners in the Western textile industry has evolved towards high performance and environmental protection. The fourth-generation block copolymer modified silicone oil integrates a variety of active groups through molecular design, and can meet the comprehensive needs of fabric softness, washability, elasticity, hydrophilicity, etc. without compounding, becoming the mainstream of the market. For example, the ULTRATEX® UHS block polymer launched by Huntsman improves wearing comfort by improving the water absorption of fabrics while maintaining a soft and fluffy feel.

At the same time, environmental regulations promote the green upgrading of technology. The strict restrictions on the content of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and siloxanes (D4, D5, D6) in the EU REACH regulations have prompted companies to develop low-solvent or solvent-free synthesis processes. For example, Wacker in Germany reduces the use of isopropyl alcohol and the VOC content in its products through short-process synthesis technology; Archroma's bio-based silicone softener Siligen® EH1, more than 35% of its active ingredients come from plant-based renewable raw materials, which is in line with the trend of sustainable development.

In addition, intelligent functional integration has become a new direction. By introducing antibacterial, flame retardant, UV-resistant and other groups, silicone softeners are transforming from single feel improvement to multifunctional composite finishing, meeting the dual needs of performance and environmental protection in the high-end textile market.