Plasticizers – Benefits, Trends, Health, and Environmental
Plasticizers are colorless and odorless esters, mainly phthalates, that increase the elasticity of a material (e.g., polyvinylchloride (PVC)). Plasticizers soften the PVC to make it flexible and bendable. This opens up a huge range of possibilities for new applications. One of the main benefits of plasticizers is the durability they confer onto
Plastic Additives, Processing & Impact Modifiers | Dow Inc.
Plastic additives are used in a wide variety of applications, including vinyl, blow-molding bottles, film, rigid containers, PVC plastics, siding, decks and rails, foam pipes and profile formulations, window frames and high-efficiency lubricants.
AddWorks - Powerful Additives for Plastics and Coatings
Listening closely to our customers and understanding their needs, we are using our long-term expertise and profound technical knowledge to develop new state-of-the-art special additive combinations which are designed and optimized for the needs of particular market segments and application fields.
Selecting Plasticizers for Adhesives and Sealants
Plasticizers are one of the commonly used additives in adhesives and sealants formulations. They improve the performance of adhesives by creating much-needed flexibility, optimizing viscosity, toughness, set time functionality, impact resistance, and even adhesion.
A Brief Evaluation of Antioxidants, Antistatics, and
This review presents some of the main characteristics of common polymer additives, such as antioxidants, antistatic agents and plasticizers, and recent research in developing bio-alternatives.
- What are plasticizers used for?
- Plasticizers are an important class of low molecular weight non-volatile compounds that are widely used in polymer industries as additives . The primary role of such substances is to improve the flexibility and processability of polymers by lowering the second order transition temperature, the glass transition temperature (Tg).
- Why do we add plasticizer?
- The addition of plasticizer leads to a decrease in intermolecular forces along polymer chains, which improves the flexibility and chain mobility. These are added to enhance film flexibility, decrease brittleness and avoid shrinking during handling and storage , , .
- What types of plasticizers are used in hydrophilic polymers?
- In addition to water, the most commonly used plasticizers are polyols, mono-, di- and oligosaccharides. Polyols have been found to be particularly effective for use in plasticized hydrophilic polymers .
- What is a plasticizer in chemistry?
- The council of the IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) defined a plasticizer as “a substance or material incorporated in a material (usually a plastic or elastomer) to increase its flexibility, workability, or distensibility”.
- Why are plasticizers important in biopolymer-based films & coatings production?
- In biopolymer-based films and coatings production, plasticizers are also essential additives since they can improve flexibility and handling of films, maintain integrity and avoid pores and cracks in the polymeric matrix .
- Why do plasticizers soften polymers?
- Internal plasticizers generally have bulky structures that provide polymers with more space to move around and prevent polymers from coming close together. Therefore, they soften polymers by lowering the Tg and, thus, reducing elastic modulus.
