Polyvinylchloride Plasticized with Acetylated Monoglycerides Derived from Plant Oil

To replace phthalate plasticizer for PVC, acetylated monoglyceride (AMG) plasticizers were prepared from plant oil and their plasticization effects were also investigated. Transesterification of coconut oil by glycerol followed by acetylation with acetic anhydride gave AMG-CoCo (Coco : Coconut Oil). In addition, AMG-GMO (GMO : Glycerol monooleate) and AMG-GMO-Epoxy were synthesized by acetylation and epoxidation with glycerol monooleate. It was found that the thermal stability of AMG plasticizers increased in the following order: AMG-GMO-Epoxy > AMG-GMO > AMG-CoCo and all three plasticizers were thermally more stable than those of common petroleum-based plasticizer DOP (Dioctyl phthalate). The tensile strain values of the PVC containing AMG compounds were ca. 770 similar to 810%, while tensile strength values were ca. 19 similar to 22 MPa, which were higher than those of PVC containing DOP. DMA (Dynamic Mechanical Analysis) results showed that the miscibility of AMG-GMO-Epoxy in PVC was excellent and the T-g of PVC containing AMG-GMO-Epoxy at 50 phr decreased down to 24 degrees C. Finally, the leaching experiment result showed that the weight loss values of PVC containing AMG-GMO and AMG-GMO-Epoxy at 50 phr were as low as 2 and 1%, respectively, indicating that they have high water migration resistance. The above findings suggested that AMG-GMO-Epoxy could be one of plant oil-based PVC plasticizers to replace DOP.