Synthesis of Tung-Oil-Based Triglycidyl Ester Plasticizer and Its Effects on Poly(vinyl chloride) Soft Films

A tung-oil-derived renewable plasticizer, tung-maleic triglycidyl esters (TMTE), was prepared and incorporated into poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) for the first time. The chemical structure was studied by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and 13C NMR. The plasticizing effects of TMTE replacement of dioctyl phthalate (DOP) in soft PVC films were researched. Thermal stability, thermal degradation performance, dynamic mechanical property, and mechanical properties of pure PVC and PVC films were investigated with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), TGA-FTIR, TGA-mass spectrometry, dynamic mechanical analysis, and mechanical test. The results showed that PVC films plasticized with the TMTE exhibited increased thermal stability, plasticizing effect, compatibility, and flexibility. When 30 phr (parts per hundred parts of resin) DOP was substituted with TMTE in PVC blends, glass transition temperature (Tg) dropped from 41.46 to 40.18 °C, the initial decomposition temperature (Ti), ...