Additive Effects in Polymers
- Polymer Additives and their Functions. Most plastic additives are introduced into a compound to produce a specific result, whether to increase formability or merely change the pigmentation.
- Plasticizing Agents. ...
- Pigments. ...
- UV Stabilizers and Antioxidants. ...
- Formability Additives. ...
- More from Plastics & Rubber
What are the five types of polymer additives?
May 07, 2020 · Processing additives are added to polymers to improve its processing character without affecting the physical properties of the polymer. They include lubricants (internal and external lubricants), processing aids, heat stabilizers. Heat stabilizers are most common additive for PVC as they are heat sensitive material.
Why are polymers better adhesives?
Sep 04, 2019 · Additives are chemicals added to the base polymer to improve processability, prolong the life span, and/or achieve the desired physical or chemical properties in the final product. While the content of additives is typically only a few percent, their impact on polymer performance and stability is significant.
What materials are used in additive manufacturing?
Mar 17, 2022 · There are a variety of reasons that manufacturers choose to use polymer additives. Additives have been added to polymers for ages and as long as plastic is used this practice will continue. It’s because these additives effectively reduce costs, extend the life of the material, and reduce flammability, improve flexibility and make processing simpler among …
Which solvents will dissolve Super Absorbent Polymers?
Polymer processing additives are used to reduce melt fracture, increase the processing window, and eliminate die-lip build-up and gels in polyolefins. 15 Some additives may interfere with the performance of the polymer processing additive by four main mechanisms – adsorption, abrasion, site competition, and chemical reaction. 15 Strong bases such as hindered amine …
What are the additives used in plastics?
Additives Used with PlasticsMasterbatches. ... Materials Modification. ... Fillers and Reinforcements. ... Impact Modification - Elastomer Addition. ... Flame Retardants. ... Plasticizers. ... Softeners and Extenders. ... Anti-Aging Additives.More items...•Jan 21, 2019
Why are stabilizers added to polymers?
Stabilizers. Stabilizers are 'intentional additives' used to prevent environmental effects (of heat, UV light, etc.) on the polymer. They are added to plastics to afford protection against heat (thermal), UV and mechanical degradation of the polymer during both processing and use.
Why antioxidants are considered as an important additive in polymer manufacture process?
Antioxidants inhibit autoxidation that occurs when polymers reacts with atmospheric oxygen. Aerobic degradation occurs gradually at room temperature, but almost all polymers are at risk of thermal-oxidation when they are processed at high temperatures.
What is purpose of additives write various types of additives used in plastic?
These are additives that improve the processability of the resin and prevent damage to the molding equipment by reducing friction (external lubricants), and by lowering the bulk viscosity (internal lubricants). Typical external lubricants are metallic soaps, fatty acids, paraffin and low MW polyethylene.
What benefit do plasticisers provide as an additive to polymers?
A primary plasticizer enhances elongation, softness and flexibility of polymer. They are highly compatible with polymers and can be added in large quantities. For example: up to 50% of vinyl gloves are made up of plasticizers, which make the PVC flexible and soft enough to wear.
What are stabilizers used for?
Stabilizers. Stabilizers are used to prevent the formation of objectionable large ice crystals in ice cream. They have high water-holding capacity; in addition, they prevent ice crystal formation in storage, give uniformity of product, give desired resistance to melting, and improve handling properties.
What do antioxidants do in plastics?
Antioxidants are added to plastics to inhibit degradation caused by thermo-mechanical or thermo-oxidative conditions. Antioxidants extend a product's life, enhance the appearance and maintain its strength, stiffness and flexibility.
What are antioxidants additives?
Antioxidants are additives capable of delaying or preventing rancidity of food due to oxidation, and therefore, lengthen the shelf life of products. They are very important in the food industry because they allow foods to conserve their nutritional properties and their quality levels.Jan 24, 2019
Why antioxidants are added to lubricants give examples of it also?
Antioxidants are additives designed to prolong the life of a lubricant by increasing the oxidative resistance of the base oil. Antioxidants allow lubricants to operate at higher temperatures than would otherwise be possible without them.
Which additives are used in the production of PVC?
Formulating PVC Products The essential additives for all PVC materials are stabilisers and lubricants; in the case of flexible PVC, plasticisers are also incorporated. Other additives which may be used include fillers, processing aids, impact modifiers and pigments.
What additives mean?
1 : of, relating to, or characterized by addition an additive process. 2 : produced by addition. 3 : characterized by, being, or producing effects (such as drug responses or gene products) that when the causative factors act together are the sum of their individual effects.
Which additive added to increase the flexibility of the polymer?
Different additives such as plasticizers, fillers, stabilizer, pigments were mixed. These are added in order to increase the elongation i.e; its flexibility.
What are additives in plastic?
One of the big changes over time in plastic formulations is the use of polymer additives. Additives are chemicals added to the base polymer to improve processability , prolong the life span , and/or achieve the desired physical or chemical properties in the final product.
What is Amcor film?
Amcor. Amcor is a manufacturer of polyethylene film and bags, as well as polyolefin compounds, additives, blends, and masterbatches . Amcor has grown from a single product line to hundreds of products and five product divisions.
What are some additives that can be added to polymers to reduce the risk of mechanical and chemical deterioration
To reduce the risk of mechanical and chemical deterioration, phenolic or amine antioxidants can be added to these polymers, while certain pigments and stabilizers can help shield them from ultraviolet light. Some of the common additive groups used for these purposes include:
Why are plastic additives important?
This makes it important to carefully control the amount and types of additives that are included because they do not usually bond to a polymer molecule and thus increase the chemical susceptibility of a plastic material. Different kinds of additives display different vulnerabilities and strengths, but each of them can influence the effectiveness of polymer production.
What is pigment additive?
Pigments. Pigmenting additives can be used to alter the color of a polymer material, which is beneficial for a range of consumer products. However, some pigments can increase a polymer’s susceptibility to chemical reactions, making careful selection an important step in the pigmentation process.
Is rubber a plasticizer?
Plasticizing Agents. While some polymers, like rubber, are naturally flexible, others, such as lignin or cellulose nitrate, are comparatively rigid and cannot be softened by exposure to non-solvent materials.
What are polymer additives?
Polymer additives are used to decrease the cost of manufacturing additives. Fillers, also known as extenders, are additives that add bulk to the polymer, effectively reducing the volume of base polymer consumed, therefore reducing costs. Minerals, such as calcium carbonate, silica, glass fibers, and carbon black can all be used as extenders. Fillers often act to enhance stability and moldability.
Why are additives important in polymer manufacturing?
Additives are used much of the time to improve the processibility and processing characteristics of the material. For instance, internal and external lubricants are often added to make processing more efficient. The internal lubricants, such as fatty ester and waxes, improve polymer flow properties and mold filling by reducing friction. External lubricants such as metallic soaps and fatty acids are used to reduce the friction between the plastic and the manufacturing equipment. Molding agents, such as silicone oils and graphite, can also be used to assist with release from the mold. Without some or all of these additives, the manufacturing of polymers would be much less efficient.
How does UV light affect plastic?
Plastics, like most materials, are prone to degrading over time especially when routinely exposed to high temperatures, UV light from the sun, and oxygen. This degradation presents in many forms including brittleness, discoloration, and loss of physical properties that reduce the life span of the plastic. Stabilizers can be added to the polymer to reduce the degradation of plastics. For instance, there are UV stabilizers and stabilizers with antioxidant additives that can be used to protect the plastics from these issues.
What is flame retardant?
Flame retardants are a popular and necessary additive for many plastic applications. This type of additive can delay or slow down combustion. These additives are especially common in electrical products to avoid the ignition and burning of plastics.
What are the additives in polymer?
The most common polymer additives are stabilizers, plasticizers, lubricants and flame retardants. Stabilizers are added to prolong the useful life of a polymer formulation by protecting it from thermal and light-assisted oxidation. This process is caused by the formation in the polymer chain of free radical sites which can react with oxygen to form unstable peroxy radicals and ultimately cause polymer chain scission. Stabilizers are divided into four main classes: UV absorbers, primary antioxidants, secondary antioxidants and quenchers.
What are polymer processing additives used for?
Polymer processing additives are used to reduce melt fracture, increase the processing window, and eliminate die-lip build-up and gels in polyolefins. 15 Some additives may interfere with the performance of the polymer processing additive by four main mechanisms – adsorption, abrasion, site competition, and chemical reaction. 15 Strong bases such as hindered amine light stabilizers can cause the polymer processing additive to lose effectiveness, due to both site competition and chemical reaction. 15 In the presence of HAS, chemical reactivity is possible with typical polymer processing additives composed of reactive fluoropolymers, which are most frequently used in these applications. While such an interaction occurs, it has been demonstrated that the HAS interaction does not change its stabilizing ability, but only affects the performance of the processing additive. 15 Nonreactive polymer processing additives have been found. 15 It allows for broader selection of other additives, processing at higher temperatures, and reduces the required amount of polymer processing additive necessary to eliminate melt fracture and lower extrusion pressure. 15
Why are additives more expensive than resins?
Because many polymer additives are likewise based on petrochemicals, additive use and production is tied to oil prices as well. Additives are often more expensive than the resins they are used in; yet these additives can provide synergistic value-added functions to raw resin that offset their own costs. With the goal of increasing value when loaded in polymers, recent overall trends indicate both lower loadings of more-effective high-priced additives and higher loadings of low-cost additives, such as fillers and reinforcements [2-13].
What is the concentration of polymer additives?
Polymer Additive. Polymer additives are usually uniformly dispersed in the polymer matrix with a concentration in the range of 0.1–1wt% [2], which improves several features of the material such as stiffness, toughness, durability, clarity, etc., leading to high-quality products. From: Polymer Science and Nanotechnology, 2020.
What is PPA in polymer processing?
A polymer processing additive (PPA) has been developed from copolymers of vinylidene fluoride (polyvinylidene fluoride, PVDF) by Arkema Corporation. The application is as a process aid for the extrusion of polyolefins (linear low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, polypropylene), in particular in the form of film [3].
What is fluoroelastomer additive?
Fluoroelastomer additives are usually applied as polymer processing additives (PPAs), to improve the processing of polymers during compounding and fabricating of articles. Perfluoropolyether (PFPE) additives are also added to plastics and elastomers to improve the processing of polymers. The use of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-modified waxes enhances the properties of printing inks and improves the characteristics of the printed material. Fluorinated graphite is used as an additive for lubrication in other materials and in lithium batteries as binder. Fluorination, for example, fluorine-treated bottles, enhances the resistance of plastics such as polyethylene (PE) to many chemicals.
What is PTFE wax?
The use of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)- modified waxes enhances the properties of printing inks and improves the characteristics of the printed material. Fluorinated graphite is used as an additive for lubrication in other materials and in lithium batteries as binder.
Why are polymer additives added to polymer?
Polymer additives are chemicals added to the base polymer to improve processability, reduce raw material costs, prolong the life span, and/or achieve the desired physical or chemical properties in the final product.
What are the benefits of polymer additives?
In addition to the improvements listed below, polymer additives can also be used to provide the desired color, odor, crystallization rate, density, insulation, anti-static, anti-microbial, and many other properties . Improved Processing: these additives are combined with ...
What are fillers in polymer?
Decreased Material Costs: fillers, or extenders as they are often called, are inexpensive additives that add bulk to the polymer and reduce costs by reducing the volume of base polymer consumed. Minerals are often used as fillers and examples include calcium carbonate, silica, glass fibers, and carbon black.
What are plasticizers used for?
Plasticizers are one of the most common polymer additives and an example is phthalate esters used in PVC products. Plasticizers fit in the spaces between polymer molecules reducing intermolecular forces, leaving the polymer less rigid and more easily handled during manufacturing.
What is UV stabilizer?
UV stabilizers absorb UV light, protecting the plastic from its harmful effects. Anti-oxidant additives protect against oxidative degradation by minimizing the opportunity for free radicals to react with oxygen to form unstable molecules.
What is Amcor film?
Amcor. Amcor is a manufacturer of polyethylene film and bags, as well as polyolefin compounds, additives, blends, and masterbatches . Amcor has grown from a single product line to hundreds of products and five product divisions.
Polymer Additives and Their Functions
- Most plastic additives are introduced into a compound to produce a specific result, whether to increase formability or merely change the pigmentation. In the case of copolymers, which are composed of varied and repeating molecular units, each substance included in the material plays a part in its overall chemical makeup. This makes it important to ...
Plasticizing Agents
- While some polymers, like rubber, are naturally flexible, others, such as lignin or cellulose nitrate, are comparatively rigid and cannot be softened by exposure to non-solvent materials. For this reason, plasticizing compounds may be added to a polymer to reduce its stiffness and increase its formability. Plasticizerscollect into groups of molecules between different polymer chains wit…
Pigments
- Pigmenting additives can be used to alter the color of a polymer material, which is beneficial for a range of consumer products. However, some pigmentscan increase a polymer’s susceptibility to chemical reactions, making careful selection an important step in the pigmentation process. Pigments such as carbon black do not react to corrosives, but clay and other hydrophilic additiv…
UV Stabilizers and Antioxidants
- Many unsaturated polymers can undergo degradation from a range of sources, such as oxygen absorption, which leads to the release of organic peroxides. To reduce the risk of mechanical and chemical deterioration, phenolic or amine antioxidants can be added to these polymers, while certain pigments and stabilizers can help shield them from ultraviolet light. Some of the commo…
Formability Additives
- Polymers that exhibit difficult formability may benefit from lubricants or processing aids that can help keep the material from sticking to metal surfaces and lower the amount of energy needed to fabricate it. Certain additives, such as acrylic polymers, can improve impact and provide greater ease of processing at the same time. PVC material that is intended for molding or extrusion is of…