Plasticizer

Description

An additive that increases the flexibility or softness of another material. Plasticizers are usually nonvolatile organic liquids or low-melting solids. Examples are Dibutyl phthalate, Tricresyl phosphate, Ethylene glycol, and Castor oil. The highest volume of plasticizers are used in producing Polyvinyl chloride and cellulose esters. In the ealrly 20th century, Camphor was used in cellulose nitrate to make Celluloid. Phthalate plasticizers were commonly used in the middle of the 20th century for PVAC paints and PVC plastics. However, since these oily plasticizers tended to creep and separate with time producing an oily surface and leaving a brittle substrate, later formulations began using copolymerization techniques for film modification rather than plasticizers.

Synonyms and Related Terms

plasticiser (Br.); hydromel

Sources Checked for Data in Record

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