In this study, a novel environmentally friendly plasticizer, 12‐14 alkyl ether tributyl citrate (AETBC), was synthesized via high‐temperature ring‐opening reaction, and its chemical structure was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy. AETBC was used to plasticize polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and the mechanical property and thermal degradation of the plasticized PVC was studied. The migration stability and compatibility of AETBC in PVC were also investigated and compared with three commonly used plasticizers. The results show that PVC plasticized with AETBC has better mechanical property and migration stability than that plasticized with dioctyl phthalate (DOP), tributyl citrate (TBC) and acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC), and AETBC is more effective than TBC and ATBC in improving the thermal stability of PVC. In conclusion, AETBC can be produced by a simple way for use as a promising alternative to DOP in preparing flexible PVC films.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.