What is the function of the plasticizer?
It is supposed that the function of the plasticizer is that its molecules are embedded between the individual polymer chains and disintegrate the polymer–polymer interactions.50,51 One of the most important properties of the polymers is known as the glass transition temperature ( Tg ), which measures chain mobility.
What are plastics and how do they work?
Plasticizers do their job by acting as a kind of “lubricant” between segments of polymer chains. Without the plasticizer, those chains of molecules would sit on top of each other as rigidly as uncooked spaghetti in a box. Mix in just the right plasticizer and the chains can move freely, like cooked pasta that you’ve topped with a nice olive oil.
What materials use plasticizers?
Many different materials use plasticizers — PVC, rubber, plastics and so on. In fact, the discovery of plasticizers pretty much made the polymer industry possible.
How does the plasticizer mixture affect the properties of polymers?
Therefore, the plasticizer mixture affects the properties of polymers. Plasticizers can be used in combination or singularly to achieve the desired properties of the material. By changing the kinds of, amount, or concentration of plasticizer, the properties can be tailored to meet any application requirements of the material.
What is a plasticizers and how does it work?
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 do plasticizers do to polymers?
Plasticizers are low molecular weight substances added to a polymer solution to promote its plasticity and flexibility. Therefore, the plasticizers make the polymer solution more suitable for the application of film coating.
How do plasticizers work in concrete?
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.
How do plasticizers work in PVC?
0:281:26The carbon to chlorine bond is polar which means that dipole-dipole attractions occur between theMoreThe carbon to chlorine bond is polar which means that dipole-dipole attractions occur between the polymer chains making pure PVC hard and brittle plasticizers are added to polymers such as PVC. To
Do plasticizers increase viscosity?
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 chemical is used as a plasticizer?
The most common plasticisers include esters such as adipates, azelates, citrates, benzoates, ortho-phthalates, terephthalates, sebacates, and trimellitates.
Does plasticizer make concrete stronger?
Superplasticizers transform stiff, low-slump concrete into flowing, pourable, easily placed concrete. They can improve workability, speed finishing, increase strength, conserve cement and help reduce shrinkage and thermal cracking.
Does plasticizer increase strength of concrete?
Superplasticizer can reduce the water content as the water/cement ratio remain the same and can increase workability at the same water/cement ratio reduce cement and provide early strength.
Does plasticiser weaken concrete?
Adding an excessive amount of plasticizer will result in excessive segregation of concrete and is not advisable. Depending on the particular chemical used, use of too much plasticizer may result in a retarding effect."
Are plasticizers toxic?
(1) Phthalate plasticizers have been regarded as hazardous compounds due to numerous reports based on its toxicological effects, including bioaccumulation potential, endocrine disruption, carcinogenicity, and developmental defects.
What are natural plasticizers?
They include some fatty acid esters, benzoates, tartrates and chlorinated hydrocarbons, esters of adipic, azelaic and sebacic acid. As the plastic industry continuously grows, the demand for plasticizers goes in the same direction.
What is the difference between a plasticizer and a lubricant?
The plasticizers used are normally liquids and hence only disadvantage is, if they are not consistent, they ooze out in finished product. Lubricants and stabilizers- lubricants help during moulding operations, especially during low or room temperature moulding.
What happens to the polymer if plasticizers leach?
When a plasticizer leaches from a polymer, the material can become rigid and breakable, and product contamination could occur from the leached material, which is not a good thing.
Why are plasticizers added to polymers quizlet?
Why are plasticizers added to polymers? Plasticizers are added to polymers to improve flexibility and toughness.
What is the role of plasticizer addition in polymer delivery system?
Addition of plasticizer is vital to the formation of a robust rate-controlling membrane. Plasticizers have the ability to interact with polymer chains, and provide desired flexibility, shock resistance, and smoothness to resultant system.
Why plasticizer is used during plastic molding?
Without plasticizers, a majority of the injection molding compounds would have been completely unfit for that purpose, and certain blends of rubber would not have been produced at all. Plasticizers make plastics elastic, extensible, flexible, and plastic at low temperatures.
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. When they’re added to a polymer, they work themselves into the polymer chains, acting like a buffer between the segments of molecules. Think of how the cartilage in your knee helps cushion the joints and aids in how the knee bends and moves. Plasticizers work in a similar way, and without them, the material would be hard, rigid, and more difficult to shape.
What are the different types of plasticizers?
Over 30,000 substances have been tested for use as a polymer plasticizer, though today, only about 50 are available for use. Of these, they are divided into four families: 1 Phthalates, which are used for flexibility in plastics 2 Dicarbonates are used in shaping PVC at lower temperatures; 3 Phosphates are used to make a material flame retardant. 4 Fatty acid esters are added to rubber and vinyl to improve flexibility.
Why are fatty acids added to rubber and vinyl?
Fatty acid esters are added to rubber and vinyl to improve flexibility.
Is plasticizer safe?
The Registration for Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), which is known to be the mots comprehensive and strict safety regulating organization in the world, has determined that nearly all plasticizers are safe, and so has the FDA.
What is terephthalate plasticizer?
Terephthalate plasticizers are very similar in structure to phthalates except the substitution of the aromatic ring is at the 1,4 position versus the 1,2 position of the aromatic ring. Terephthalates are prepared by the esterification of terephthalic acid or the transesterification of dimethyl terephthalate with aliphatic alcohols such as butanol or 2-ethyl hexanol. In general, terephthalate esters are not as compatible in PVC and are more difficult to process when compared to other phthalates of the same carbon numbers. Terephthalate esters prepared with C10 and higher carbon number alcohols will have high levels of exudation and are poor plasticizers. Today, there is essentially only one important terephthalate plasticizer commercially available, DEHTP (DOTP), although another terephthalate ester based on C4 alcohols is being introduced for use in plasticizer blends to help improve processability [20] of DEHTP. Some HMW terephthalate esters are also being test marketed in Asia Pacific, but the expected compatibility and processing problems will greatly restrict their acceptance.
What plasticizers are used in PVC?
Most PVC plasticizers such as phthalates, adipates, glutarates, sebacates, phosphates, polymerics, trimellitates, and epoxy compounds are used. In those applications requiring high-temperature exposure as well as good flexibility at low temperature, high-molecular-weight adipates and sebacates offer good performance.
What is petroleum oil?
Petroleum oils are the large volume plasticizer used in elastomers, finding utility in natural rubber, SBR, EPR, and EPDM and neoprene. NBR represents the elastomer using the bulk of ester plasticizers in elastomers although other types frequently use ester for specialized applications. Most PVC plasticizers such as phthalates, adipates, glutarates, sebacates, phosphates, polymerics, trimellitates, and epoxy compounds are used. In those applications requiring high-temperature exposure as well as good flexibility at low temperature, high-molecular-weight adipates and sebacates offer good performance. As in PVC formulating, solvent resistance is imparted by polymerics.
What is plasticizer for elastomers?
Plasticizers for elastomers generally are of two types: ester and petroleum oils. Broadly speaking ester plasticizers contribute processing advantages to polar elastomers, while petroleum oils are useful with nonpolar elastomers. Petroleum oils, usually called extender oils, are further classed as either paraffinic, naphthenic, or aromatic. Depending on the rubber type, the degree of unsaturation in the petroleum oil must be considered so as not to interfere with cure rates and subsequently affect the final vulcanizate properties.
What is the purpose of plasticizer efficiency?
Plasticizer efficiency is used to describe the ability of a plasticizer to make the product softer and is reported as a ratio of the slope of the hardness versus plasticized concentration ...
How much plasticizer is in PVC?
Plasticizers may comprise 15–50% of a PVC formulation. By changing type and amount of plasticizer, properties can be tailored to requirements. Increasing plasticizer concentration increases flexibility, decreases tensile strength, and reduces hardness (e.g., Figure 1 ).
How do plasticizers lose their properties?
Plasticizer loss: Plasticizers can be lost via volatilization, extraction, or migration, depending on its environment. These can be summarized as follows:
Mechanism of action
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; however it was later shown that the free volume explanation could not account for all of the effects of plasticization.
Selection
Over the last 60 years more than 30,000 different substances have been evaluated for their suitability as polymer plasticizers. Of these, only a small number – approximately 50 – are today in commercial use.
Antiplasticizers
Antiplasticizers are polymer additives that have effect opposite to those of plasticizers. They increase the modulus while decreasing the glass transition temperature.
Safety and toxicity
Substantial concerns have been expressed over the safety of some polymer plasticizers, especially because some low molecular weight ortho-phthalates have been classified as potential endocrine disruptors with some developmental toxicity reported.
Common polymer plasticizers
Phthalate -based plasticizers are used in situations where good resistance to water and oils is required. Some common phthalate plasticizers are:
Concrete
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 improve workability and strength. The strength of concrete is inversely proportional to the amount of water added, i.e., the water-cement (w/c) ratio.
Stucco
Plasticizers can be added to wallboard stucco mixtures to improve workability. In order to reduce the energy consumed drying wallboard, less water is added, which makes the gypsum mixture very unworkable and difficult to mix, necessitating the use of plasticizers, water reducers, or dispersants.
How does plasticizer affect polymer chains?
Plasticizers, due to their compatibility with the polymer, are able to permeate into the free volume around the polymer chains. This interaction results in a few things. First, it reduces the effects of secondary bonding forces which tend to keep the polymer ôstuckö together. Secondly, it increases intermolecular distance which results in some swelling and increased free volume. Finally, as a result of the increased free volume and decreased secondary bonding forces, the plasticizer acts as a lubricant which enhances chain mobility --- the polymer molecules are more easily able to move and slip past each other in response to an applied load.
What does plasticizer do to glass?
The introduction of a plasticizer reduces the glass transition temperature, Tg, of the material which permits the polymer to remain more ductile at lower temperatures. This enhances the materialÆs low-temperature toughness and impact resistance.
What is a polymer?
A polymer is similar to a plateful of uncut spaghetti. The points at which the spaghetti strands contact each other are ôstickyö, similar to the attractive forces between molecules. Because of their long lengths, many of the molecules are entangled, among themselves and with other molecules. There is a significant amount of free volume around the molecules.
Is a plasticizer a solvent?
Effectively, a solvent is a plasticizer --- but generally with low permanence, i.e., a solvent is generally volatile and evaporates from the polymer fairly rapidly. A plasticizer, therefore, may be considered as a solvent with low volatility.
Do additives affect the properties of a compound?
Be cautious and aware of the effects intentional, as well as unintentional, additives may have on the ultimate properties of a compound. DonÆt assume that a small addition of an additive will only affect the intended property enhancement. Whenever there is an improvement in one property, there will always be a change in one or more other properties. Make sure the negative effects do not counteract the positive benefits you are seeking.
Why is PVC important?
Plastics and polymers, including PVC, are essential to our quality of life. Many PVC products need to be flexible and soft to withstand physical stress without breaking. They also need to be able to take a particular shape for each and every application.
How long does PVC last?
Plasticizers transform the properties of PVC to create the attributes we need in each application. Most PVC applications have a life-span of 10 to 20 years and beyond. Its long life-span makes PVC the perfect material for applications like building and construction.
When was DOTP invented?
ExxonMobil patented DOTP (DEHT) as early as 1953. Because of its poor compatibility with PVC, the company decided not to commercialize it and shifted its focus to other, more reliable solutions.
Is PVC a polymer?
PVC has all the attributes needed to make it a widely used polymer. It is: energy efficient: it takes less energy to produce than many alternative plastics 3. cost effective. flame retardant – inherent fire safety, due to chlorine. durable: applications have long life-span expectancy. versatile, printable and paintable.
What is embrittlement testing?
Embrittlement testing is one way we can determine if a plasticizer has leached from a polymer , causing a material to behave in an unexpected and undesired way. Leaching is one of the most common challenges in working with plasticizers. When a plasticizer leaches from a polymer, the material can become rigid and breakable, and product contamination could occur from the leached material, which is not a good thing. In fact, the only nice thing we can say about plasticizer leaching is that it’s what creates that new-car smell!
What happens when plasticizer leaches?
When a plasticizer leaches from a polymer, the material can become rigid and breakable, and product contamination could occur from the leached material , which is not a good thing. In fact, the only nice thing we can say about plasticizer leaching is that it’s what creates that new-car smell!
How do plasticizers work?
Plasticizers do their job by acting as a kind of “lubricant” between segments of polymer chains. Without the plasticizer, those chains of molecules would sit on top of each other as rigidly as uncooked spaghetti in a box.
What materials use plasticizers?
Many different materials use plasticizers — PVC, rubber, plastics and so on. In fact, the discovery of plasticizers pretty much made the polymer industry possible. Without a plasticizer, most polymers would just be too brittle and rigid to be useful.
What is the plasticizer used in polymer?
Of course the plasticizer a manufacturer uses in a polymer really depends on a number of factors, including what the material will be used for, the physical characteristics desired, the performance needed and the plasticizer’s compatibility with the other compounds in the polymer.
What is phthalate used for?
Phthalates are used in PVC cables, films, coatings, adhesives and certain plastics that need flexibility.
Can plasticizers derail a product?
You can imagine that plasticizer problems could totally derail a product, and more than one client has come to us with a polymer or plastic that just wasn’t moving or working the way it should. When a material is proving to be inflexible or faulty in some other way that affects performance, we know to take a look at the plasticizer. There is also concern over the safety of some plasticizers such as Bisphenol A (BPA) which has been linked to negative health effects in children.
