Plasticizers: Types, Uses, Classification, Selection & Regulation
Plasticizers are most widely used additives in plastics. They are generally available as non-volatile, colorless liquids. Plasticizers increase the flow and thermoplasticity of a polymer by decreasing the viscosity of the polymer melt.
Plasticizers - Chemical Economics Handbook (CEH) | S&P Global - IHS Markit
Published May 2025. Flexible polyvinyl chloride (PVC) accounts for 80–90% of global plasticizer consumption. Flexible PVC (and thus plasticizers) is found in the following applications: construction (flooring, wall coverings), electrical (wire and cable jacketing), consumer goods (toys, footwear, etc.), packaging, transportation (inside and outside of vehicles), furnishings, and medical uses
Plasticizer
A plasticizer ( UK: plasticiser) is a substance that is added to a material to make it softer and more flexible, to increase its plasticity, to decrease its viscosity, and/or to decrease friction during its handling in manufacture.
What Plasticizers Do & How They Affect Properties - Osborne Industries
Plasticizers are non-volatile chemical solvents used throughout the plastics industry to increase such properties as flexibility, pliability, durability, longevity, biodegradability, and extensibility in polymers.
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.
- What is a plasticizer & why is it important?
- Plasticizers are additives that increase the plasticity of materials. Paint and coating formulations incorporate plasticizers to resins meet flexibility and toughness requirements. The major function of the plasticizer is to increase flexibility, thus minimizing film fragility. Selecting the right plasticizer is very important.
- What are plasticizers used in PVC & other plastics?
- Plasticizers used in PVC and other plastics are often based on esters of polycarboxylic acids with linear or branched aliphatic alcohols of moderate chain length. These compounds are selected on the basis of many critieria including low toxicity, compatibility with the host material, nonvolatility, and expense.
- What are plasticizers & superplasticizers?
- In the concrete technology, plasticizers and superplasticizers are also called high range water reducers. When added to concrete mixtures, they confer a number of properties including improved workability and strength. The strength of concrete is inversely proportional to the amount of water added, i.e., the water-cement (w/c) ratio.
- What are plasticizers for polymers?
- Plasticizers for polymers are either liquids with low volatility or solids. According to 2017 data, the total global market for plasticizers was 7.5 million metric tonnes.
- How do plasticizers work?
- It was commonly thought that plasticizers work by embedding themselves between the chains of polymers, spacing them apart (increasing the "free volume"), or swelling them and thus significantly lowering the glass transition temperature for the plastic and making it softer.
- Which plasticizer should be used in coatings?
- To ensure high efficiency, the plasticizer should be able to penetrate the resin at film-forming conditions. Commonly used plasticizers in coatings are: Phthalate esters, based on phthalic acid, are the main types of plasticizers used since they satisfy a broad range of processing and performance requirements, as well as a large number of markets.
