Silane coupling agents are organosilicon compounds that are widely used to bond organic materials to inorganic materials. In many cases, these are materials that might otherwise be considered too dissimilar to form strong interactions. As a result, silane coupling agents are extensively used to greatly improve the interfacial adhesion in composites and other materials systems, significantly improving desirable qualities such as mechanical strength, moisture or chemical resistance, electrical properties, etc. In general, silane coupling agents are used to tailor the composition, functionality, compatibility, and reactivity of a given system, enhancing its desirable properties while minimizing the disadvantages that may be inherent. This typically includes the direct modification of resins, other organic components, and/or inorganic surfaces and it is accomplished by adding one or more specific functional groups via one or more organosilane coupling agents.

Functional silanes are organosilicon compounds such as chlorosilanes, alkoxysilanes, and silazanes that have one or more functional groups directly attached to the silicon atoms. Functional silanes are used in the manufacture of ceramics, as surface modifiers for organic materials, as resin modifiers, and also as silylating agents that protect the specific functional groups of pharmaceutical and agricultural chemicals.

A silylating agent is an organosilicon compound that replaces an activated hydrogen in an organic molecule with an organosilicon group. In the field of pharmaceuticals, silylating agents are mainly used to protect the activated hydrogens of specific functional groups in raw materials or intermediates as they are processed. In the field of electronics, silylating agents are widely used as surface modifiers for a variety of substrates such as silicon wafers or glasses.