A simple approach with scale-up potential towards intrinsically flame-retardant bio-based co-plasticizer for PVC artificial materials

Abstract

As an imitation of genuine leather, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) artificial materials are versatile, but suffers from being flammable due to the presence of large amounts of combustible plasticizers. Under such circumstance, intrinsically flame-retardant plasticizers displaying dual functions have been a subject of intensive research interest. However, previous strategies attempting to covalently attach flame-retardant moiety to plasticizers invariably required either expensive starting materials or laborious and tedious procedures, ultimately limiting their scale-up application in industry. In addition, driven by escalating demand of halogen-free flame retardants worldwide from an environmental health perspective, previously reported intrinsically flame-retardant plasticizers were mainly halogenfree, less attractive in PVC artificial material industry simply because PVC itself is a halogen-containing polymer. Here, we report an approach to introduce chlorine moieties into unsaturated fatty acid methyl ester by a simple addition reaction occurring on carbon-carbon double bonds, yielding a chlorine-containing, intrinsically flameretardant bio-plasticizer. When combined with di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DOP) in PVC formulations, the chlorinated fatty acid methyl ester is qualified as a co-plasticizer while conferring flame retardancy upon the PVC coatings. This approach involves only a one-step procedure that employs renewable fatty acid methyl esters and cheap chlorine gas as raw materials, thus being of great potential to enable intrinsically flame-retardant bioplasticizers on a large scale to manufacture functional PVC artificial materials for application in fire-prone scenarios.

Bibliometric and Co-Occurrence Study of Process System Engineering (PSE) Applied to the Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Production

“…The monomers are in the liquid phase and the polymer material exists as a sphere suspended in the liquid [56]. The degree of polymerization can be obtained by modifying the process conditions measuring the molecular weight of the polymer by solution viscosity [57]. Control over particle size and distribution is challenging.…”

“…Offers a simplified process but without the versatility of emulsion polymerization [57]. Suitable for making linear or branched polymers, and copolymerization.…”

Y-Shaping All Components in Waste Cooking Oil-Derived Epoxidized Fatty Acid Methyl Esters toward a Leaching-Resistant Bioplasticizer

“…We report herein a strategy that can Y-shape all components in a WCO-derived fatty acid methyl ester mixture with another short, polar ester chain, ultimately affording a Y-shaped epoxidized fatty acid methyl diester (EFAMDE) with a significantly suppressed leaching rate. Compared with incumbent technology, this strategy (1) is carried out at 60 °C under atmospheric pressure, entailing no utilization of an energy-intensive procedure; (2) converts all components in the WCO feedstock into the final bioplasticizer, resulting in no waste of the feedstock; and (3) affords a bioplasticizer with a leaching rate equivalent to or slower than that of di-(2ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), the most commonly used orthophthalate for plasticizing PVC (Scheme 1). With this strategy in hand, one may make full use of the renewable WCO to prepare a high-performance bioplasticizer in an energy-efficient manner, providing a sustainable and reliable alternative to replace ortho-phthalates in the PVC industry.…”

“…Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) is ubiquitous in modern society owing to its relative ease of synthesis, ability to be formulated into diverse materials, and low cost. 1 Since the early-mid 20th century, the PVC industry has long relied on ortho-phthalates as plasticizers to endow the final products with vital flexibility and durability. However, ortho-phthalates are made from fossilbased sources and hence are nonrenewable.…”