Effects of poly(1,2-propylene glycol adipate) and nano-CaCO3 on DOP migration and mechanical properties of flexible PVC.

Nano-CaCO₃ was used as nano-scale filler and poly(1,2-propylene glycol adipate) (PPA) was used as polymeric plasticizer in flexible poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) sheets for the partial replacement of di(2-ethyl hexyl) phthalate (DOP) in this paper. The effect of PPA and nano-CaCO₃ on restraining DOP migration was evaluated via extraction tests. The results showed that the introduction of nano-CaCO₃ can decrease the extraction rate of DOP in the PVC matrix. The tensile strength and elongation at break of CaCO₃-1/PPA-20/DOP-30/PVC were similar to those of DOP-50/PVC, and CaCO₃-1/PPA-20/DOP-30/PVC exhibited the superior suppression of DOP migration compared with DOP-50/PVC. Thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) indicated that the addition of nano-CaCO₃ effectively improved the thermal stability of the nanocomposites. Therefore, the combination of PPA and nano-CaCO₃ is an effective approach to suppress the migration of DOP. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]