Plasticizers refer to organic substances that increase plasticizers, improve the fluidity of resins during molding and make products flexible. It is usually some high-boiling, hard-to-volatile viscous liquid or low-melting solid, which generally does not chemically react with plastics.
The plasticizer must first have good compatibility with the resin. The better the compatibility, the better the plasticizing effect. Adding plasticizers lowers the glass transition temperature of plastics, making hard and rigid plastics soft and flexible. Generally, the plasticizer is also required to be colorless, non-toxic, odorless, light-resistant, heat-resistant, cold-resistant, low in volatility and migration, non-flammable and chemically stable, cheap and easy to obtain. In practice, one plasticizer cannot satisfy all of the above requirements.
Plasticizers are divided into main plasticizers, namely solvent-based plasticizers; auxiliary plasticizers, namely non-solvent-based plasticizers; catalyst-based plasticizers; and phthalates according to their chemical structures. , fatty acid esters, phosphate esters, polyesters, epoxy esters, chlorine-containing compounds, etc. Commonly used plasticizers are dibutyl phthalate (DBP), dioctyl phthalate (DOP), epoxidized soybean oil, tricresyl phosphate, triphenyl phosphate, dioctyl sebacate, Chlorinated paraffin, etc.
PVC is the main end user of these plasticizers. The main application areas of PVC with added plasticizers are wire, cable, floor and wall cladding, building materials, automotive and packaging materials.