Abstract:
The Review surveys published information on the development of theories of the plasticisation of amorphous and crystalline polymers by plasticising additives of low and high molecular weight, the phenomenon of antiplasticisation, the action of small additions of plasticisers, and the effect of the chemical structure, size, and shape of plasticiser molecules on the plasticisation of polymers. The applicability of modern physical and physicochemical methods (thermomechanics, thermography, rheology, nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared spectroscopy, dielectric and mechanical losses) to the investigation of plasticised systems is reviewed. The list of references contains 213 items.