Poly(epsilon-caprolactone)-based additives: Plasticization efficacy and migration resistance

摘要

A family of poly(caprolactone) (PCL)-based oligomeric additives was evaluated as plasticizers for poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). We found that the entire family of additives, which consist of a PCL core, diester linker, and alkyl chain cap, were effective plasticizers that improve migration resistance. The elongation at break and tensile strength of the blends made with the PCL-based additives were comparable to blends prepared with diisononyl phthalate (DINP), a plasticizer typically used industrially, and diheptyl succinate (DHPS), an alternative biodegradable plasticizer. Increasing concentration was found to decrease glass transition temperature (T-g) and increase elongation at break, confirming their role as functional plasticizers. We found that all of the PCL-based plasticizers exhibited significantly reduced leaching into hexanes compared to DINP and DHPS. The PCL-based plasticizers with shorter carbon chain lengths reduced leaching more than those with longer carbon chain lengths.