What Are Plasticizers?

When you are working with different materials, it can seem like the materials are just magically what you need. However, many materials are not always right at the beginning. This is why companies use plasticizers to help improve the quality of the material for use in other things.

Many people do not know what plasticizers are, what they are used for, or what they are made out of. This is useful information. Luckily, in this article, you can find everything you need to know about plasticizers and their use in the real world.

What Are They?

Plasticizers are a colorless and an odorless type of ether that contains mostly phthalates. This is used to help improve and increase the overall elasticity of material to make it bendable and such. They have proven to be beneficial for many companies that produce materials for various reasons.

These companies use plasticizers to improve their materials, and they are used throughout the world. They also have several benefits that make them ideal for use in PVC and more, and while the safety of the plasticizers has been questioned, there are many reasons why companies continue to use them for the improvement of their materials overall.

What Are They Made From?

If you will remember, plasticizers are made from main phthalates in an ether to be used in various materials. However, they are also made with several other chemical ingredients to provide them with their elastic and flexible methods. Some of the other ingredients include things like adipic acid, alcohol, and phthalic anhydride.

The alcohol reacts with either the adipic acid or the phthalic anhydride to create the plasticizer, giving companies a variety of combinations that can be used to create new and improved plasticizers. There are just a few numbers of the combinations that have withstood the rigorous testing involved in creating these additives since there are so many tight restrictions on them. These restrictions will be discussed later.

What Are They Used For?

Plasticizers are used for creating a more bendable or elastic type material, but they are most often used in polyvinyl chloride, also known as PVC. This material is commonly called vinyl, and it is used in a large number of ways throughout the world. PVC can be found in roofing, wall coverings, automotive industries, and even medical devices.

Plasticizers, while used in many different products, are also heavily regulated to ensure that they remain safe for use around humans. This includes things like printing ink, paint, rubber products, and adhesives, which are found in many walks of life. You have probably been around a plasticizer and never even realized it. Most often, these are found in professional use, though.

What Are The Benefits?

The major benefit is the ability to give a material a more flexible quality. However, that is not the only major benefit. When a material is given that flexible quality, it then becomes much stronger than before. This is why PVC is often known as one of the most durable substances and materials in the world.

These materials can perform for as long as 50 years without damage, and this is why many companies use PVC for water pipes. Durability is a major benefit of the plasticizers, and the ability to make endless combinations is also beneficial.

Will There Be Any Changes Soon?

The next few years could prove to have several changes to the plasticizer industry. If you compare data from the past 15 years, many of the ingredients used to make past plasticizers has been changed or updated to provide better, safer options for the masses. The same can happen in the future as safer and more efficient combinations are discovered, tested, and put into practice.

It is hard to say how much change will take place in the next few years, but with the ever-changing ideas of science, breakthroughs could happen as soon as tomorrow. In the plasticizer industry, it could be years before we see any of the breakthroughs put into practice due to the testing and certification involved with plasticizers.

Conclusion

Plasticizers are a common additive that is used in various materials like PVC to make them more durable and more flexible. Plasticizers have been an important part of the materials industry for several years, and each year they get safer and more efficient than the year before.

Many of the changes that happen with plasticizers are due to the rigorous testing. There is no doubt that plasticizers are valuable to many industries in the world today.