Which outcome occurs when a polymer's plasticizer weakens?

💡 Explanation

Weakening plasticizer causes reduced chain mobility because it interferes with intermolecular forces, triggering the glass transition and embrittlement. Therefore, the material becomes brittle, rather than harder or more crystalline, owing to the change.

• Which outcome arises from catalyst poisoning in catalytic converters within automotive exhaust systems?
• Which consequence arises from Heisenberg uncertainty in quantum dot electronic wave functions within semiconductor devices?
• Which outcome occurs when a platinum catalyst degrades in a fuel cell?
• Which effect reduces single-mode fiber optic transmission rates when source coherence degrades?
• Which phenomenon results when a nonpolar molecule approaches another?
• Which outcome occurs when excessive voltage gradients induce dielectric breakdown in underground shielded power cables?