Thermal stability of graft modifications of PVC and related materials

The grafting of polyisobutylene and polybutadiene onto PVC by use of alkylaluminum compounds gives graft copolymers which are superior in thermal stability to unmodified PVC as determined by dehydrochlorination measurements at a low degree of decomposition. The alkylation of toluene with PVC also exhibits high heat stability. The improved thermal stability observed for the modified samples is ascribed to the existence of an induction period and/or lower dehydrochlorination rates. PVC grafted with polybutadiene in the absence of cobalt cocatalyst exhibits autocatalytic behavior and is less stable than the unmodified PVC.     

Cationic polymerization of α-methylstyrene from polydienes. I. Synthesis and characterization of poly(butadiene-g-α-methylstyrene) copolymers

The preparation of poly(butadiene-g-α-methylstyrene) copolymers was investigated with three different alkylaluminum coinitiators. The alkylaluminum compounds in conjunction with polybutadiene which contained a low concentration of labile chlorine atoms initiated the polymerization of α-methylstyrene to produce graft copolymers. Trimethylaluminum gave higher grafting efficiencies than diethylaluminum chloride at comparable monomer conversions. Triethylaluminum produced only very low monomer conversions (<5%), even at long reaction times, and for this reason was not studied extensively. The number of grafts per polybutadiene backbone was determined for a number of copolymers and found to increase slightly as the allylic chlorine concentration in the polybutadiene backbone was increased. In all cases, however, only a low percentage of the available labile chlorine sites along the polybutadiene backbone resulted in grafted α-methylstyrene side chains. The addition of small quantities of water to the polymerization solvent greatly enhanced the grafting rate and ultimate monomer conversion during the synthesis of these poly(butadiene-g-α-methylstyrene) copolymers. The mechanistic role of water during these grafting reactions is unknown at the present time.     

Proton conducting membranes based on poly(vinyl chloride) graft copolymer electrolytes

The direct preparation of proton conducting poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) graft copolymer electrolyte membranes using atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) is demonstrated. Here, direct initiation of the secondary chlorines of PVC facilitates grafting of a sulfonated monomer. A series of proton conducting graft copolymer electrolyte membranes, i.e. poly(vinyl chloride)‐g‐poly(styrene sulfonic acid) (PVC‐g‐PSSA) were prepared by ATRP using direct initiation of the secondary chlorines of PVC. The successful syntheses of graft copolymers were confirmed by ¹H‐NMR and FT‐IR spectroscopy. The images of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) presented the well‐defined microphase‐separated structure of the graft copolymer electrolyte membranes. All the properties of ion exchange capacity (IEC), water uptake, and proton conductivity for the membranes continuously increased with increasing PSSA contents. The characterization of the membranes by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) also demonstrated their high thermal stability up to 200°C. The membranes were further crosslinked using UV irradiation after converting chlorine atoms to azide groups, as revealed by FT‐IR spectroscopy. After crosslinking, water uptake significantly decreased from 207% to 84% and the tensile strength increased from 45.2 to 71.5 MPa with a marginal change of proton conductivity from 0.093 to 0.083 S cm^?1, which indicates that the crosslinked PVC‐g‐PSSA membranes are promising candidates for proton conducting materials for fuel cell applications. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Graft copolymerization of butyl acrylate and 2‐ethyl hexyl acrylate from labile chlorines of poly(vinyl chloride) by atom transfer radical polymerization

Trace amounts of labile chlorines present in poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) were found to act as initiation sites for the preparation of graft copolymers of PVC by copper‐mediated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). High grafting yields were attained during the graft copolymerizations of n‐butyl acrylate (161.8%) and 2‐ethyl hexyl acrylate (51.2%) in 7.5 h. In both cases, the grafting proceeded with first‐order kinetics with respect to the monomer concentrations, this being typical for ATRP. Gel permeation chromatography traces of the resulting products did not exhibit additional peaks attributable to the formation of free homopolymers. The presented procedure offers an efficient means of preparing self‐plasticized PVC structures. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 3457–3462, 2003     

Chemical and electrochemical grafting of polythiophene onto poly(vinyl chloride): synthesis,characterization, and materials properties

A facile strategy for chemical and electrochemical grafting of polythiophene onto poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) is reported. For this purpose, a thiophene-functionalized PVC macromonomer (ThPVCM) was synthesized using a Kumada cross-coupling reaction. The synthesis of macromonomer was verified by means of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopes. The graft copolymerization of thiophene monomers onto ThPVCM was initiated by oxidized thiophene groups coupled onto PVC backbone after addition of ferric chloride (FeCl₃) via oxidation polymerization method. Moreover, the electrochemical graft copolymerization of thiophene onto ThPVCM was performed via constant potential electrolysis in the acetonitrile (ACN)–tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate (TEAFB) solvent–electrolyte couple. The PVC-g-PTh obtained was characterized by means of FTIR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and its electroactivity behavior was verified under cyclic voltammetric conditions. Moreover, thermal behavior of the synthesized polymer was investigated by means of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).     

Degradation of PVCs obtained by controlled chemical dehydrochlorination

Thermal and thermo-oxidative degradation of poly(vinyl chloride)s (PVCs) containing increased concentrations of allylic chlorines, PVC(A)s, prepared by controlled chemical dehydrochlorination with potassium-t-butoxide (t-BuOK) have been studied. The introduction of small amounts of internal allylic chlorines into PVC significantly decreases the thermal and thermo-oxidative stability of the resin. A linear relationship exists between the initial rates (V_HCl)₀ of thermal and thermooxidative dehydrochlorination of solid PVC(A)s and the concentration S of internal allylic chlorines. Both the slope and the intercept of the thermo-oxidative (V_HCl)₀ vs. S plot are higher in oxygen than those obtained in nitrogen at the same temperature; this finding is attributed to fast oxidation of polyenes, and to peroxy radicals formed during polyene oxidation, which initiate subsequent HCl loss by attacking normal repeat units in PVC. The extent of HCl loss as a function of time during thermal degradation of PVC(A)s in intert solvent shows a rapid initial phase followed by a slower stationary phase. The first phase is due to dehydrochlorination involving the labile chlorines, while the stationary phase indicates random initiation of HCl loss at normal? CH₂? CHCl? repeat units. Initial rates of HCl loss increase with S, while the rates of HCl loss during the stationary phase are independent of S. The rate constant of initiation of HCl loss at internal allylic chlorines is almost four orders of magnitude higher than that of random initiation; however, the former is still orders of magnitude lower than that of chain propagation. Quantitative analysis of UV-visible spectra of PVC(A)s degraded in solution suggests geometric polyene distribution. The average length of polyenes decreases as the extent of HCl loss increases and reaches a constant value of ca. 3 at ca. 1% HCl loss for all the investigated PVC(A) samples.     

Chemical and electrochemical grafting of polyaniline onto poly(vinyl chloride): synthesis,characterization, and materials properties

We have designed and developed a new strategy for the chemical and electrochemical graft copolymerization of aniline onto poly(vinyl chloride). For this purpose, first phenylamine groups were incorporated into poly(vinyl chloride) via a nucleophilic substitution reaction in the presence of a solvent composed of 4‐aminophenol, potassium carbonate, and dry N,N‐dimethylformamide at room temperature, in order to avoid cross‐linking. The macromonomer obtained was used in chemical and electrochemical oxidation copolymerization with aniline monomer to yield a poly(vinyl chloride)‐g‐polyaniline (PVC‐g‐PANI) graft copolymer. The chemical structures of samples as representatives were characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies. The electroactivity behaviors of the synthesized samples were verified under cyclic voltammetric conditions. The electrical conductivity and electroactivity measurements showed that the PVC‐g‐PANI graft copolymer has lower electrical conductivity as well as electroactivity than those of the pure PANI. However, the lower electrical conductivity and electroactivity levels in this material can be improved at the price of solubility and processability. Moreover, the thermal behavior and chemical composition of the synthesized graft copolymer were investigated. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Block and graft copolymers by selective cationic initiation. III. Synthesis and characterization of bigraft copolymers

The synthesis and characterization of new bigraft copolymers poly[(ethylene-co-propylene-co-1,4-hexadiene)-g-styrene-g-α-methylstyrene] (Nordel-g-PSt-g-PαMeSt) and poly[(ethylene-co-propylene-co-1,4-hexadiene)-g-isobutylene] (Nordel-g-PSt-g-PIB) are described. The synthesis involves the use of a polyhydrocarbon backbone containing allylic chlorines and bromines (chlorobrominated Nordel) in conjunction with a suitable alkylaluminum compound to initiate selectively the polymerization of a monomer (generally styrene) from the chloride sites and subsequently to initiate the polymerization of another monomer (α-methylstyrene or isobutylene) from the bromide sites. Conditions conductive to selective and sequential initiation have been worked out. The pure bigrafts are obtained by selective solvent extraction and their homogeneity (by gel permeation chromatography), overall composition (by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy) and molecular weight (by osmometry) are determined.     

Poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) grafted poly(vinyl chloride)s synthesized via ATRP process and their membranes for dye separation

To functionalize poly(vinyl chloride)(PVC) for various applications, monomers containing tertiary amine group are incorporated into PVC via atom transfer radical polymerization(ATRP) initiated by the labile chlorines in their backbones. The kinetics of synthesis was carefully investigated, and it is proven that the grafting polymerization process can be effectively controlled by regulating the reaction time. The membranes are fabricated using PVC and copolymers by non-solvent induced phase separation(NIPS) process. The hydrophilicity and pore structure of copolymer membranes were enhanced as well, these membranes are endowed with positive charge. When PDMA%(i.e., the PDMA weight percentage in copolymer) is 31.1%, the flux and Victoria blue B rejection are 26.0 L?m?2?h?1(0.5 MPa) and 91.2%, respectively. Thus, the newly synthesized polymer is proven to be a promising material for dye separation with positive charges.     

Poly(vinyl chloride) Nanocomposites

Poly(vinyl chloride) is one of the major thermoplastics beside other commodities polymers like polyethylene and polystyrene. However, some of its main characteristics such as plasticity, thermal and photo stability are inferior to other commodity polymers. Adding nano scale inorganic fillers to poly(vinyl chloride) or other polymers in view to obtain polymer nanocomposites with superior properties has drawn the attention of many researchers in the last decades. Poly(vinyl chloride) nanocomposites are obtained mainly by in situ polymerization, solution based or mixing techniques. The resulting products show improvement of most important properties of poly(vinyl chloride) such as thermal, mechanical, rheological, flammability, antibacterial, etc. This paper presents preparation ways of poly(vinyl chloride) nanocomposites using different nano fillers and the improved properties compared with those of virgin poly(vinyl chloride).     

Free radical polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate in plasticized Poly(vinyl chloride)

Kinetic of free radical in-situ polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), was studied in a complex evolutionary system: poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) plastisols. A predictive model of conversion-time profile based on free radical mechanism was proposed and structure of the modified PVC system developed was investigated by NMR analyses. In order to elucidate the mechanism of the reaction, model molecules for PVC were used with NMR and MALDI-TOF characterization. It was found that in-situ polymerization of GMA in PVC plastisols leads to both homopolymerization and grafting of GMA onto PVC backbone by hydrogen abstraction. For 33 wt% GMA loaded, grafting efficiency is 67% with an amount of grafted poly-glycidyl methacrylate (pGMA) equals to 22 wt%. Thus, this article discloses a new type of PVC plastisols called reactive plastisols where, in addition to usual plasticizers, PVC is modified by polymerizable GMA monomer.     

Vanillin–Schiff’s bases as organic thermal stabilizers and co-stabilizers for rigid poly(vinyl chloride)

Vanillin–Schiff’s bases (VSB) were examined as thermal stabilizers and co-stabilizers for rigid poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) in air at 180 °C. Their high stabilizing efficiency were shown by their high thermal stability value (Ts), which is the time elapsed for the detection of HCl gas, if compared with dibasic lead carbonate and cadmium–zinc soap reference stabilizers used industrially, with better extent of discoloration. Blending these derivatives with reference stabilizers in different ratios greatly lengthens the thermal stability and the extent of discoloration of the PVC.Condensation products of Vanillin with amines are very active biologically, besides having good complexation ability with metal ions. The Ni²⁺ and Co²⁺ complexes of VSB derivatives gave better thermal stability and less discoloration than the parent organic stabilizer. Also, blending these complexes with either of the used reference stabilizers in different ratios gave better thermal stability and lower extent of discoloration. Thermogravimetric analysis confirmed the improved stability of PVC in the presence of the VSB derivatives, compared to blank PVC, PVC stabilized with reference stabilizers and PVC stabilized with binary mixture of VSB derivatives with reference stabilizer.The stabilizing efficiency of Vanillin–Schiff’s base (VSB) derivatives is attributed to the replacement of the labile chlorine atoms on the PVC chains by a relatively more stable moiety of the organic stabilizer.     

Efficiency and mechanism for the stabilizing action of thiouracil derivatives as novel thermal stabilizers for poly(vinyl chloride) and the synergistic effect with calcium stearate

Novel thiouracil thermal stabilizers for rigid poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), 6-methyl-2-thiouraci (6M2TU), 5-methyl-2-thiouraci (5M2TU), and 6-propyl-2-thiouraci (6P2TU) were synthesized successfully via a precipitation method, and characterized with 1H NMR spectra. Investigation of these thiouracil derivatives as thermal stabilizers for poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) was measured by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), congo red test, fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and discoloration test. The results show that the thiouracil derivatives have strong ability to replace the labile chlorine atoms in PVC chains, but weak ability to absorb hydrogen chloride. Moreover, PVC stabilized with these thiouracil derivatives and calcium stearate (CaSt₂) exhibit greater stabilizing efficiency compared with traditional Ca/Zn stabilizers with the same concentration.     

Atom transfer graft copolymerization of 2‐ethyl hexylacrylate from labile chlorines of poly(vinyl chloride) in an aqueous suspension

Copper‐mediated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) is presented as a versatile tool for the graft copolymerization of 2‐ethyl hexylacrylate with poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) in an aqueous suspension. The appreciable solubility of PVC in 2‐ethyl hexylacrylate (30%) at temperatures around 130 °C makes grafting of the monomer possible from labile chlorines of PVC in aqueous suspensions without the use of additional solvent. The first‐order kinetics (rate constant k = 4.2 × 10^?6 s^?1) of the mass percentage increase reveals a typical ATRP fashion of the graft copolymerization at low conversions. The use of a completely organosoluble copper(I) complex of hexylated triethylene tetramine, in combination with α‐methylcellulose as a stabilizer, makes the graft copolymerization possible in a dispersed organic phase. Nearly spherical, green particles can be obtained with moderate stirring rates (1000 rpm) in high graft yields. Although the kinetics of the reaction deviates from the first order at high conversions, reasonable graft yields (146%) can be attained within a reaction period of 24 h. In this study, the reaction conditions of the grafting have been studied, and graft products have been confirmed by common techniques such as ¹H NMR, gel permeation chromatography, and differential scanning calorimetry. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1900–1907, 2006     

Allylated PVC

Active chlorines in poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) were quantitatively replaced by pendant allyl groups ( CH₂CHCH₂) with allyltrimethylsilane in the presence of Friedel–Crafts acids (e.g., Et₂AlCl and TiCl₄). The thermal stability of the allylated PVCs was significantly superior to that of the starting material. Our allylation method is essentially quantitative; indeed, it was used for the determination of the active chlorine content in the PVCs. Furthermore, the pendant allyl groups were quantitatively oxidized by m‐chloroperbenzoic acid to epoxides; thus, PVCs carrying propylene oxide substituents [ CH₂CH CH₂(O)] were prepared. The structures of the products were characterized by high‐resolution NMR spectroscopy, and their thermal characteristics were characterized by TGA and color formation. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 307–312, 2001     

Controlled introduction of allylic chlorines into poly(vinyl chloride)

Colorless poly(vinyl chloride)s (PVC) containing up to 1.6 allylic chlorines per molecule have been prepared by controlled random dehydrochlorination with a strong base. The effect of temperature in the ?50 to +24°C range on the number of allylic chlorines and color of PVC has been investigated by ozonization experiments and UV–visible spectroscopy. A two-parameter kinetic model has been developed which quantitatively accounts for the observations and points the way for further research.     

Étude de la réaction du thiophénate de sodium sur le polychlorure de vinyle à l'état condensé. Correlation avec la substitution en solution diluée

As in dilute solution, sodium thiophenate reacts with poly(vinyl chloride) during processing operations, substitution of chlorine atoms is very rapid and the conversion exceeds 90%. The stereoselectivity of this reaction with respect to TG conformations of iso and heteroactic triads is the same during processing operations as in dilute solution. Stearic acid as lubricant on calcium stearate as stabiliser decreases the substitution yield. Substitution of labile chlorine atoms by thiophenate groups increases the thermal stability of PVC.     

Influence of physical-chemical interactions on the thermal stability and surface properties of poly(vinyl chloride)-b-poly(hydroxypropyl acrylate)-b-poly(vinyl chloride) block copolymers

The synthesis of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) homopolymers and poly(vinyl chloride)-b-poly(hydroxypropyl acrylate)-b-poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC-b-PHPA-b-PVC) block copolymers via a single electron - degenerative transfer mediated living radical polymerisation was carried out on a pilot scale in industrial facilities. The thermal stability of the products was assessed conductimetrically. The block copolymers, that contained a low content of PHPA (below 12 wt.%), showed thermal stability that was approximately three times greater than that of conventional PVC. Inverse gas chromatography study of the copolymers surface showed that there was a decrease in the dispersive component and greater Lewis acidity and basicity constants were observed relative to those of PVC. The thermal stabilisation of PVC when in the presence of PHPA is explained by the interactions between its functional groups and the structures formed during the thermal degradation. The thermal stability and the surface properties of PVC-b-PHPA-b-PVC were strongly dependent on the molecular weight of the block copolymer. Lewis acid-base interaction parameters were determined and are interpreted as evidence of the PVC-b-PHPA-b-PVC compatibilising function in PVC-wood flour composites.     

Structure of reactively extruded rigid PVC/PMMA blends

A novel route for producing polymer blends by reactive extrusion is described, starting from poly (vinyl chloride)/methyl methacrylate (PVC/MMA) dry blend and successive polymerization of MMA in an extruder. Small angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) measurements were applied to study the monomer's mode of penetration into the PVC particles and to characterize the supermolecular structure of the reactive poly(vinyl chloride)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PVC/PMMA) blends obtained, as compared to the corresponding physical blends of similar composition. These measurements indicate that the monomer molecules can easily penetrate into the PVC sub‐primary particles, separating the PVC chains. Moreover, the increased mobility of the PVC chains enables formation of an ordered lamellar structure, with an average d‐spacing of 4.1 nm. The same characteristic lamellar structure is further detected upon compression molding or extrusion of PVC and PVC/PMMA blends. In this case the mobility of the PVC chains is enabled through thermal energy. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and SAXS measurements of reactive and physical PVC/PMMA blends indicate that miscibility occurs between the PVC and PMMA chains. The studied reactive PVC/PMMA blends are found to be miscible, while the physical PVC/PMMA blends are only partially miscible. It can be suggested that the miscible PMMA chains weaken dipole–dipole interactions between the PVC chains, leading to high mobility and resulting in an increased PVC crystallinity degree and decreased PVC glass transition temperature (T_g). These phenomena are shown in the physical PVC/PMMA blends and further emphasized in the reactive PVC/PMMA blends. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparative Studies on Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Segments Grafted Poly(vinyl chloride)

Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) is one of the mostly produced plastics in the world and is widely used in single-use medical devices.However,the additives that are often necessary for PVC arouse concerns of its safety,thus quests the modifications of PVC itself.In this study,poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) segments were grafted onto PVC backbone in similar ways,and the chemical structures of the modified PVCs were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectra,X-ray photoelectron spectra,thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry.Moreover,the water contact angle,protein adsorption,platelet adhesion,cell attachment and proliferation on different material surfaces were studied and compared.It was found that both PEG and PDMS grafting yielded improvement on biocompatibility compared with bare PVC,while hydrophobic PDMS grafted PVC showed more effective on cell attachment and proliferation than that of hydrophilic PEG grafted PVC.