137 Plasticizer
Plasticizer is a low-volatility liquid or solid substance, normally of low molecular weight, that’s added to a raw polymer like a type of plastic or rubber to increase its flexibility, workability, or distensibility. A plasticizer may reduce the melt viscosity, lower the temperature of a second-order transition, or lower the elastic modulus of the product.
The use of plasticizers began in the mid-1860s when castor oil was added to cellulose nitrate by Alexander Parkes. In 1870, camphor became the more favored plasticizer for cellulose nitrate. Phthalates were first introduced in the 1920s and quickly replaced the volatile and odorous camphor. In 1931, the commercial availability of polyvinyl chloride ...
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