Additives Flashcards
What are additives used for?
Additives are used either to improve the properties, or change the properties of a Polymer.
Name __ additives used in polymers
fillers stabilizer plasticiser pigment/colourant Flame retardant Foaming agent Lubricant
- What do plasticisers do to the properties of a plastic?
2. What do plasticisers do to the actual molecules?
- They make polymers softer and more flexible, impact-resistant and durable. They also make plastics easier to mould.
- Plasticieser molecules get in between the polymer chains and reduce the strength of the bonds between them, enabling the polymer chains to slip over each other.
What polymer is the biggest use of plasticiser and why?
PVC is because it is plasticised to make it more flexible for products like clothing, garden hoses, electrical insulation for wires
What do pigments do?
They change the colour of the polymer
What do fillers do?
They are cheap materials like chalk, clay, paper and flour that are added to polymers to reduce the cost and aslo make them stronger
What do foaming agents do?
A foaming agent creates gas bubbles in the polymer to create lighter products or products with more volume, e.g. packing material, sponges, buoyancy aids, heat insulation products
What does flame retardant do? What are they used in?
They are added to polymers to make them more difficult to catch fire. Used for polymers used in clothing, furniture, and building materials
What do stabilisers do?
They help prevent the polymer degrading and becoming weaker by exposure to the environment: UV light, heat, chemical reactions of microbes
What do lubricants do?
They can be added in the plastics manufacturing processes to make the polymer flow better and stop it sticking in the machines
what does the addition of glass or carbon fibre do to a plastic?
It greatly increases the strength of the plastic, commonly polyester resins are used. Boats and storage tanks are normally made from these materials.
