Table 1 Summary of average densities of commonly used polymers and the application of representative additives and estimates of typical percentages added (weight/weight) in commonly used polymers [101,102,103,104]
Polymer | Density (g/cm3) | Anti-oxidant | Flame retardant | Plasticizer | UV Stabilizer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Typical amount range (% wt/wt) | 0.05–3 | 0.7–25 | 10–70 | 0.05–3 | |
Thermoplastic | |||||
 Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) | 0.98 | ✓ | ✓ | ||
 Polyamide 66 (Nylon 66) | 1.24 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Polycarbonate (PC) | ✓ | ✓ | |||
Polyethylene (PE) (amorphous) | 0.85 | ||||
  • Low-density PE (LDPE) | 0.89 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
  • High-density PE (HDPE) | 0.96 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Polyethylene (PE) (crystalline) | 1.00 | ||||
Polypropylene (PP) | 0.99 | ✓ | ✓ | ||
Polystyrene (PS) | 1.04 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) | 1.39 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Thermosetting | |||||
 Epoxide resin | 1.2 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
 Phenol-formaldehyde resin | 1.36 | ✓ | ✓ | ||
 Unsaturated polyester resin | 1.23–2.3 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
 Polyurethanes | 1.2 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |