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plasticizer
Sign in to savethumb|PVC, used extensively in sewage pipes, is only useful because of plasticizers.|right 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.
Article
20 sectionsContents
- For polymers
- Mechanism of action
- Selection
- Antiplasticizers
- Safety and toxicity
- Common polymer plasticizers
- Ortho phthalates
- Terephthalates
- Trimellitates
- Adipates & Sebacates
- Organophosphates
- Other
- For inorganic materials
- Concrete
- Stucco
- Energetic materials
- Plasticizers for energetic materials
- See also
- References
- External links
thumb|PVC, used extensively in sewage pipes, is only useful because of plasticizers.|right 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.
Plasticizers are commonly added to polymers and plastics such as PVC, either to facilitate the handling of the raw material during fabrication, or to meet the demands of the end product's application. Plasticizers are especially key to the usability of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), the third most widely used plastic. In the absence of plasticizers, PVC is hard and brittle; with plasticizers, it is suitable for products such as vinyl siding, roofing, vinyl flooring, rain gutters, plumbing, and electric wire insulation/coating.