Investigation of artificial ageing of PVC stabilized with epoxidized sunflower oil as biobased derivative
Objective: The objective of this work is the study of artificial ageing of semi-rigid and plasticized polyvinyl chloride (PVC) stabilized with epoxidized sunflower oil (ESO) as biobased derivative in combination with zinc and calcium stearates. Materials and Methods: For comparison, a formulation of PVC plasticized and stabilized with epoxidized soya bean oil (ESBO) was considered. Artificial ageing was carried out during the 304 hours. Samples were taken off after: 48, 146, 234 and 304 hours and then characterized. The evolution of density, glass transition temperature and morphology, was followed as a function of the time. The structural modifications of polymer were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total reflectance and transmission modes. Results: The results showed a little decrease of density, a considerable increase of the glass transition temperatures values and a change of morphology. All changes in the properties of PVC relate to formation of new chemical structures. Conclusion: Globally, it was found that ESO exhibited similar performances to those of ESBO