What are two ways that materials engineers can vary the plastics they produce
1. Adding additives: Materials engineers can vary the plastics they produce by adding different types of additives. These additives can enhance or modify the properties of plastics, such as improving their durability, heat resistance, UV resistance, flame ancy, or impact resistance. Examples of additives include plasticizers, stabilizers, flame retardants, impact modifiers, colorants, and fillers.
2. Changing polymer chemistry: Materials engineers can also vary the plastics they produce by altering the polymer chemistry. This can involve using different monomers or modifying the molecular structure of the polymer chains. By changing the polymer chemistry, engineers can achieve different properties and characteristics in the final plastic product. For example, they can create plastics with different levels of flexibility, rigidity, strength, or transparency. Additionally, they can alter the polymerization process to control the molecular weight and distribution, which affects the mechanical and thermal properties of the plastic.