A novel renewable plasticizer based on castor oil, epoxidized glycidyl ester of ricinoleic acetic ester (EGERAE), was synthesized and applied into Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) for the first time. Its molecular structure was characterized by FT-IR and ¹H NMR. The effects of replacement of petroleum-based commercial plasticizer dioctyl phthalate (DOP) with EGERAE in poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) films were researched. Thermal stability, dynamic mechanical property and mechanical properties of PVC films were investigated with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and tensile tests. The results indicated that this castor oil-based plasticizer was able to improve the thermal stability of PVC blends when partially of completely substituting for DOP. Furthermore, EGERAE endowed PVC resin with enhanced flexibility. In addition, the exudation, volatility and extraction resistance characteristics of plasticizers were researched. The degradation mechanism and possible interaction between EGERAE and PVC molecules in the plasticized system were also investigated.
Keywords: castor oil; poly(vinyl chloride); renewable plasticizer; thermal stability.