Enhancement of materials - Polymer enhancement — AQA A-Level Design and Technology: Product Design
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Enhancement of materials - Polymer enhancement explained
Additives are substances blended into a polymer to change its properties without replacing the base polymer.
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Plasticisers push polymer chains apart so the material becomes more flexible, as in flexible PVC. Stabilisers slow degradation from heat or ultraviolet light, extending the life of outdoor components. Flame retardants reduce the likelihood or speed of ignition, useful in electrical housings. Fillers add bulk or modify stiffness and cost, and colourants change appearance. In a multiple-choice question, match each additive to the property it alters and to a plausible product use, and reject options that describe a different additive's role or claim an additive changes the base polymer's identity.
Your focus
- Identify the property changed by a named polymer additive.
- Match additives such as plasticisers, stabilisers and flame retardants to appropriate product applications.
- Reject options that misassign an additive's function.
Enhancement of materials - Polymer enhancement exam tips
Marking Points
- Recognises that additives are incorporated into a polymer to modify specific properties rather than to replace the polymer.
- Correctly associates plasticisers with increased flexibility and ease of processing.
- Correctly associates stabilisers with resistance to degradation from heat or ultraviolet light.
- Correctly associates flame retardants with reduced ignition risk or flame spread in applications such as electrical components.
- Rejects distractors that swap the roles of additives or claim an additive changes the fundamental identity of the polymer.
Examiner Tips
- 💡For each option, name the property the additive is said to change and check it against the additive's known role.
- 💡Eliminate options that describe a real additive but attach it to the wrong property or product context.
- 💡Watch for absolute wording such as 'always' or 'completely', which usually signals a distractor.
Common Mistakes
- Matching plasticisers to increased rigidity; the correction is that plasticisers increase flexibility by separating polymer chains.
- Treating stabilisers as colourants; the correction is that stabilisers protect against heat and ultraviolet degradation.
- Assuming any additive strengthens the polymer; the correction is to link each additive to its specific property change.