Highly Stretchable, Ultratough, and Multifunctional Poly(vinyl chloride)-Based Plastics via a Green, Star-Shaped Macromolecular Additive

Abstract

As one of the most prolifically produced plastics in the world, poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) suffers from mechanical brittleness and low toughness. Compared with traditional phthalate-type plasticizers, poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)-based plasticizers are especially attractive due to their "green" nature and capabilities to achieve improved physical properties. Herein, a stretchable and ultratough PVC-based plastic was achieved by a star-shaped PCL copolymer with a rigid, amino-containing, branched polylactide (N-BPLA) core and a soft PCL shell, that is, RN-SPCLs. With an optimal feed ratio of the CL monomer and N-BPLA core, the RN-SPCL2 can efficiently lower the glass transition temperature (T g ) of PVC plastics, achieving the transition from the "glassy" to "rubbery" state at ambient temperature. The obtained RN-SPCL2/PVC not only shows high extensibility, that is, 453%, but also maintains close to 80% of tensile strength of neat PVC, that is, 30.1 MPa, which is much higher than the previously reported plasticized PVCs. Its overall toughness reaches 92.7 MJ/m 3 , being more than 50-fold higher than neat PVC and 2 to 3 times higher than linear PCL or dibutyl phthalate plasticized PVCs. The important role of star-shaped architecture with a rigid core and flexible PCL shell for RN-SPCL2 in achieving highly stretchable and ultratough PVC plastics is systematically investigated. More interestingly, the as-prepared RN-SPCLs also endow PVC plastics with photoluminescence property and allow homogeneous dispersion of nanosized TiO 2 for significantly enhancing the anti-UV capability.

Natural Fiber-Reinforced Thermoplastic ENR/PVC Composites as Potential Membrane Technology in Industrial Wastewater Treatment: A Review

“…However, the disadvantage of PVC is that it is rigid and brittle and has PVC has a specific density of 1350 kg/m 3 and is an inexpensive, durable, and recyclable thermoplastic. In addition, PVC can produce materials that have high stress and can provide elastic and flexible properties with the addition of plasticizers [171]. Therefore, PVC is widely used in the market as a basic material for manufacturing goods, such as pipes and toys.…”

A highly stable bio-based plasticizer constructed from renewable acids for plasticizing and enhancing the optical properties of poly(vinyl chloride)

“…Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is one of the most widely used polymers in the world today, [1][2][3] and is used in various important fields such as food packaging, medical equipment, the automobile industry, and children's toys. [4][5][6] Its widespread use is not only due to its low price, but also the presence of plasticizers. Due to the strong polar interactions between PVC chains, pure PVC is rigid and brittle at room temperature macroscopically, 7,8 which limits the application range of PVC materials, so it is necessary to add plasticizers to improve its flexibility.…”

“…Due to the strong polar interactions between PVC chains, pure PVC is rigid and brittle at room temperature macroscopically, 7,8 which limits the application range of PVC materials, so it is necessary to add plasticizers to improve its flexibility. 6,9 At present, the most commonly used commercial plasticizers are phthalate plasticizers, 10 such as dioctyl phthalate (DOP), also known as diisooctyl phthalate (DEHP). However, after long-term use, phthalate plasticizers are easy to migrate out of the PVC and may cause serious harm to the human body, [11][12][13][14] such as the reproductive system.…”

Effects of methoxy polyethylene glycol‐polycaprolactone block copolymers and silica nanoparticles on the mechanical, tissue affinity and antibacterial properties of n‐butyl cyanoacrylate adhesive

“…However, its hydroxyl end group may initiate polymerization of BCA, which is unfavorable to long‐term storage. Polycaprolactone (PCL) is often used as a macromolecular plasticizer to improve the flexibility of rigid polymers, and the long‐chain PCL can also be physically entangled with poly(n‐butyl cyanoacrylate) (PBCA) molecular chains to enhance the cohesion and adhesion strength of the adhesive 2,17 . However, the mechanical properties would be decreased with the addition of pure PCL due to poor compatibility with BCA.…”