Permanent Plasticizers

Ester plasticizers are traditionally used to provide low temperature and improved processing of elastomers. Hallstar has developed esters that have been designed to improve the permanence of these materials when subjected to high heat and fluid extraction. Even though these new esters show marked improvements, they can be extracted or volatilized out of the elastomer compounds in severe service conditions. Reactive esters offer the ideal properties of non-extraction and low volatility while still providing low temperature flexibility.

Common esters and polymeric polyesters are both external and physical plasticizers. Physical plasticizers may have some weak attraction to the polymer such as through hydrogen bonding or Van der Waals forces but, as with external plasticizers, do not chemically react with the elastomer. An exception to this can occur under the right conditions provided one of the reactants used to make the plasticizer retains a reactive group after the esterification reaction. However, a potential problem arises as materials reacted with the polymer molecules will make the polymer molecule larger and less flexible.

Hallstar has reactive esters that provide excellent permanence properties when exposed to high heat and extractable organic fluids. These properties, along with retention of flexibility and low temperature characteristics, are highly desirable in critical long-term rubber applications.

Permanent Plasticizers Solutions: