Plasticizers – Benefits, Trends, Health, and Environmental
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 PVC applications, which can ensure high performances for up to 50 years.
Plasticizer
It was commonly thought that plasticizers work by embedding themselves between the chains of polymers, spacing them apart (increasing the "free volume"), [3] [4] or swelling them and thus significantly lowering the glass transition temperature for the plastic and making it softer.
What Plasticizers Do & How They Affect Properties | Osborne
Plasticizers act like a lubricant among polymer chains to reduce rigidity. Without them, synthetic polymer materials would be too brittle and rigid for any practical purpose. For example, plasticizers give rubber its extensibility. Approximately 90% of all plasticizers are used in polyvinyl chloride, or PVC.
Superplasticizer
Plasticizers are chemical compounds that enable the production of concrete with approximately 15% less water content. Superplasticizers allow reduction in water content by 30% or more. These additives are employed at the level of a few weight percent. Plasticizers and superplasticizers retard the curing of concrete. [1]
What Are Plasticizers? | Plasticizers in Plastic Manufacturing
What Is a Plasticizer? Starting with the basics, a plasticizer is a low-volatility liquid or solid substance that’s added to a raw polymer like a type of plastic or rubber to improve its flexibility, make it easier to shape and mold, and reduce friction on its surface.
- What are plasticizers & how do they work?
- Plasticizers are non-volatile organic substances (mainly liquids) added into a plastic or elastomer. They are also usually cheaper than other additives. They improve the following properties of the polymers: Plasticizers increase the flow and thermoplasticity of a polymer.
- Why are plasticizers important?
- Thanks to their ability to soften plastics, plasticizers enable the creation of more ductile products, reducing the brittleness of the material and enhancing performance in applications requiring greater elasticity. How do plasticizers work?
- Why are plasticizers used in polyvinyl chloride?
- Plasticizers increase the flow and thermoplasticity of a polymer. This is done by decreasing the viscosity of the polymer melt, Tg, Tm, and elastic modulus of the finished product. During this process, the fundamental chemical character of the plasticized material remains unaltered. Plasticizers are most often used in Polyvinyl chloride.
- What is a plasticizer chemistry?
- Plasticizers are the most used additives in the plastics industry. They are generally available as non-volatile, colorless liquids. They improve the properties of the polymer. With several plasticizer chemistries available in the market choosing the right one can be daunting. In this guide, you will read more about:
- What polymers use plasticizers?
- Other polymer systems that use small amounts of plasticizers include polyvinyl butyral, acrylic polymers, poly (vinyldiene chloride), nylon, polyolefins, and certain fluoroplastics. Plasticizers can be used with rubber, although more often these materials fall under the definition of extenders, rather than plasticizers.
- How do PVC plasticizers work?
- PVC plasticizers like diisoctyl phthalate seem to act in the latter fashion. Rubbers are plasticized with petroleum oils, before vulcanization, to improve processability and adhesion of rubber layers to each other and to reduce the cost and increase the softness of the final product.
