plasticise
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Verb (transitive):
- To make a material soft, flexible, or moldable by adding a substance called a plasticizer.
- To cause something to become plastic in nature or properties.
Verb (intransitive):
- To become soft, flexible, or moldable, typically through the addition or action of a plasticizer.
Usage and Examples
- Transitive Verb:
- Manufacturers plasticise PVC to make it suitable for shower curtains and flexible hoses.
- The chemist found a new, safer compound to plasticise the polymer.
- Intransitive Verb:
- When heated with the additive, the resin will begin to plasticise.
- Over time, some materials can plasticise due to environmental factors.
Advanced Usage
- In a technical/chemical context: The term is primarily used in materials science, chemistry, and manufacturing to describe the process of altering a polymer's physical properties.
- The goal of the experiment was to plasticise the brittle biopolymer without compromising its strength.
Variants and Related Words
- Plasticize: The preferred spelling in American English. The meaning is identical to "plasticise".
- Plasticiser (Noun): (British English) The substance added to a material to make it plastic. (e.g., "Phthalates are common plasticisers.")
- Plasticizer (Noun): (American English) The substance added to a material to make it plastic.
- Plasticisation/Plasticization (Noun): The process of making something plastic.
Synonyms
- Soften (in a specific material context)
- Make malleable
- Make pliable
Antonyms
- Harden
- Stiffen
- Rigidify
Related Technical Phrases
- Plasticise a resin: A common phrase in polymer processing.
- Plasticised material: Refers to the end product that has undergone the process (e.g., "plasticised vinyl").
Verb
- make plastic, as by the addition of a plasticizer
- plasticized PVC
- become plastic, as by having a plasticizer added