Difference Between Plasticizer And Superplasticizer

What Is Plasticizer?

Any substance added to a polymer material that can increase the plasticity of a polymer is referred to as a plasticizer. Plasticizers make plastics elastic, extensible, flexible and plastic at low temperatures. Plasticizers are produced by reaction of an alcohol with an acid such as adipic acid, phthalic anhydride and so forth. The choice of alcohol and acid will determine the type of ester that can be produced and hence the kind of plasticizer. Plasticizers are widely used polymer additives in industrial production, they are generally categorized into two: Primary and secondary plasticizer.

Plasticizers are commonly added to polymers such as plastics and rubber either to facilitate the handling of the raw material during fabrication or to meet the demands of the end product’s application. For example, plasticizers are commonly added to polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which otherwise is hard and brittle, to make it soft and pliable which makes it suitable for products such as clothing, bags, hoses and electric wire coatings. Plasticizers for polymers are either liquids with low volatility or solids.

Plasticizers are also often added to concrete formulations to make them more workable and fluid for pouring, thus allowing the water contents to be reduced. Similarly, they are often added to clays, stucco, solid rocket fuel and other pastes prior to molding and forming.

What You Need To Know About Plasticizer

• Any substance added to a polymer material that can increase the plasticity of the polymer material that can increase the plasticity of the polymer is referred to as a plasticizer.
• Plasticizers are also referred to as water reducers.
• Plasticizers are added 0.1-0.5% by weight of cement.
• Plasticizers can reduce the need for water by 5-15%.
• Plasticizers are used to increase the plasticity of polymer materials such as PVC and as a water reducer in concrete mixtures.
• Plasticizers are usually based on lignosulphonate which is a natural polymer.

What Is Superplasticizer?

Superplasticizer also refer to as high-range water reducers or retarders are a water-reducing admixtures for concrete, which are added in order to reduce the water content in a mixture or to slow setting rate of concrete while retaining the flowing properties of a concrete mixture. Admixtures are used to modify the properties of concrete or mortar to make them more suitable to work by hand. They greatly improve the performance of hardening fresh paste. Generally, strength of concrete increases when the water to cement ration decrease.

Superplasticizers can be classified as:

• Sulphonated melamine formaldehyde condensate (SMF)
• Sulphonated naphthalene formaldehyde condensate (SNE)
• Modified Lignosulphonates
• Cross linked acrylic polymer based (AP)

Superplasticizers are manufactured by most major producers of chemical admixtures among them BASF, Euclid Chemical, Fritz-Park, GCP Applied Technologies and GEO Specialty Chemicals.

What You Need To Know About Superplasticizer

• Superplasticizer is a water-reducing admixture capable of producing large water reduction or great flowability without causing undue set retardation or entrainment of air in mortar or concrete.
• Superplasticizers can also be referred to as high range water reducers.
• Superplasticizers are added 0.5-0.3% by weight of cement.
• Superplasticizer can reduce the need for water by 30%.
• Superplasticizers are used to further increase the water requirement for concrete mixture, increasing the strength and durability of concrete.
• The commonly used Superplasticizers are SMF, SNF and PCE.

Difference Between Plasticizer And Superplasticizer In Tabular Form