The influence of poly(vinyl alcohol) suspending agents on suspension poly(vinyl chloride) morphology

The requirements for PVC suspension resin have changed considerably in the last few years, so much so that few companies have products on their ranges that are more than 4 or 5 years old. The suspending agent has a crucial influence on the morphology of the resin, so the changes in resin characteristics have largely been achieved by changes in the suspending agent systems. After a brief review of the mechanism of PVC suspension polymerisation, the properties of polymers made using PVOH suspending agents are related to changes in the latter. The effect of variations in PVAc degree of hydrolysis and viscosity are related to changes in surface tension. Methods of achieving higher porosity by using low hydrolysis co-suspending agents are described. It is shown that higher bulk densities can be achieved by delayed addition of the PVOH. Levels of conjugated unsaturation and copolymer distributions are also shown to have important influences.     

Influences of individual and composed poly(vinyl alcohol) suspending agents on particle morphology of suspension poly(vinyl chloride) resin

Effects of individual and composed poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) suspending agents on the particle morphology of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) resins were investigated and discussed in the view of PVA absorption at the oil/water interface and interfacial behavior. It was shown that the percentage and surface coverage of PVA at the oil/water interface decreased with the increase of the degree of hydrolysis (DH) of PVA in the DH range of 70–98 mol %, while the interfacial tension of VC/PVA aqueous solution increased linearly with the increase of DH of PVA. PVC resin with more regular particle shape, increased agglomeration and fusion of primary particles, lower porosity and higher bulk density, was prepared by using PVA with a higher DH as a suspending agent. This was caused by the occurrence of drop coalescence at the very early stage of VC polymerization, the increase of particle shrinkage, and the lower colloidal protection to primary particles. It was also shown that the interfacial tension of VC/water in the presence of composed PVA suspending agents varied linearly with the weight composition of the composed PVA suspending agents. The particle properties of PVC resin prepared by using the composed PVC suspending agents were usually situated in between the properties of PVC resins prepared by using the corresponding individual PVA suspending agent. The particle morphology and properties of PVC resin could be controlled by the suitable choice of the composed PVA suspending agents. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 3848–3855, 2003     

Influences of some polymerization conditions on particle properties of suspension poly(vinyl chloride) resin

Effects of polymerization temperature, conversions, and nonionic surfactant on the particle properties of suspension poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) resins were investigated. It was shown that polymerization temperature has no significant influences on the mean particle size of PVC resin, and that the cold plasticiser absorption (CPA) of resin decreases linearly with the increase of polymerization temperature. Agglomeration of VCM droplets finishes before 20% conversion, and the mean particle size keeps almost constant at later stages of the polymerization process, but the CPA continues decreasing with the increase of conversion. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) micrographs show that the degree of agglomeration of primary particles increases with polymerization temperature and conversion. Addition of nonionic surfactant to the VCM suspension system, as a secondary suspending agent, has a great influence on the particle properties of PVC resin. The particle size and CPA increase as the concentration of nonionic surfactant increases. The nonionic surfactant with a greater HLB value is more effective in raising the mean particle size, but is less effective in raising the CPA. It is considered that the added nonionic surfactant would be absorbed faster on the VCM/water interface than the poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), which was used as the primary suspending agent. Because the colloid protection ability of the nonionic surfactant is less than that of PVA, droplets become less resistant to coalescence, and the mean particle size of the final PVC resin increases consequently. The increase of porosity is caused by the combined effects of increased coalescence of VCM droplets and the nonionic surfactant's steric effect inside the droplets. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 85: 1544–1552, 2002     

Poly(vinyl alcohol) as a stabilizer in the suspension polymerization of styrene: The effect of the molecular weight

The interfacial tension of the water-(PVA)/styrene system was measured as a function of the poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) concentration and temperature. Average size and particle-size distribution were obtained for a suspension of styrene in water using PVA as a stabilizer. We discuss the interfacial tension through the Zykonski equation to establish the behavior of the adsorption isotherms in unstirred systems and discuss the apparently contradictory results of the stirred experiment. We propose a simple configuration model that is congruent with both results. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 67: 71–77, 1998     

In-situ polymerization of n-butyl acrylate in poly(vinyl chloride)

The in situ polymerization of n-butyl acrylate with poly(vinyl chloride) has been studied. Butyl acrylate was polymerized using a peroxydicarbonate initiator and a thiol chain transfer agent in the presence of poly (vinyl chloride) beads suspended in water. The products were examined, after pressing into sheets, for optical clarity and by dynamic mechanical analysis. It was found that if 10% butyl acrylate was peesent in the mixture homogeneous blends were formed but if 15% or more butyl acrylate was present two phase mixtures were formed. If homogeneous blends prepared as above were reswollen in butyl acrylate, and the latter then polymerized, homogeneous blends containing more poly(butyl acrylate) could be prepared. The interaction parameters between both poly(vinyl chloride' and poly(butyl acrylate) and butyl acrylate were estimated by inverse gas chromatography. Using these and an estimate of the polymer/polymer interaction parameter the three component phase diagram could be qualitatively explained.     

氯乙烯悬浮(本体)聚合用过氧化物引发剂

介绍了氯乙烯(VC)悬浮(本体)聚合常用过氧化引发剂的合成方法，着重阐述引发剂与聚合动力学的关系以及聚合动力学的检测方法。研究了单一和复合引发剂条件下的VC聚合动力学，为优化引发剂体系、缩短聚合时间、提高聚合釜的生产能力提供理论基础。     

Synthesis of high-molecular weight poly(vinyl alcohol) by low-temperature emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization of vinyl acetate and saponification

High-molecular weight (HMW) poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was prepared via an emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization of vinyl acetate (VAc) using a redox initiation system in low temperatures, and the subsequent saponification with potassium hydroxide in methanol. The effect of the polymerization conditions on the conversion, molecular weight, and branching degree was investigated. PVA with maximum viscosity-average degree of polymerization (DP) of 8270 could be prepared by saponification of poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc), with DP of 10,660 obtained at temperature of 10°C, monomer concentration of 30%, potassium persulfate molar ratio to monomer of 1/2000, agitation speed of 160 rpm. The conversion was above 90%. From the emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization of VAc in low temperature, PVAc with HMW and high linearity was effectively prepared, which might be useful for the preparation of high-strength and high-modulus PVA fiber. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Thermal characterization of poly(vinyl chloride) samples prepared by living radical polymerization: Comparison with poly(vinyl chloride) prepared by free radical polymerization

Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) samples were synthesized by a living radical polymerization (LRP) method and compared with commercial PVC prepared by the conventional free radical polymerization (FRP). The differences were assessed, for the first time, in terms of viscosimetry parameters and thermal analysis. The LRP method used to prepare the PVC‐LRP samples is the only one available to obtain this polymer free of structural defects, being of commercial interest in a view of preparing a new generation of PVC‐based polymer with outstanding performance. The polymerization temperature selected (35°C) to prepare the LRP samples is currently used in the industry to prepare PVC‐FRP grades with moderate to high molecular weight. Since the thermal stability is a direct consequence of the polymer structure, this study is of vital importance to understand the potential of new PVC‐LRP. The thermoanalytical measurements demonstrate an enhanced thermal stability of PVC‐LRP when compared with its FRP counterpart. The PVC‐LRP sample with very low molecular weight reveals a higher thermal stability than the most stable PVC‐FRP sample. It is the first report dealing with thermal analysis of PVC prepared by LRP. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Yttrium fumaropimarat as a novel heat stabilizer for poly(vinyl chloride)

Yttrium fumaropimarat (YFPA) was synthesized with fumaropimaric acid and yttrium acetate as raw materials. The structure of the product was analyzed and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive X‐ray microanalysis, and X‐ray diffraction. The results showed that the product was amorphous state, three‐dimensional reticulation compound by the ionic bond of COO^? and Y³⁺. The effect of YFPA on poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) thermal stability was researched by means of Congo red method and heat oven aging method. The experimental results showed that YFPA was a good long‐term PVC thermal stabilizer and could greatly improve PVC thermal stability and initial stage stainability mixing calcium stearate, zinc stearate, and pentaerythrite. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 45015.     

Interpolymer associations between poly(vinyl alcohol) and poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) in aqueous dilute solution

This article studied the compatibility of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMACl) in a dilute aqueous solution. At a total mixture concentration and a constant molecular weight of PDADMACl, it was found that interpolymer associations increase with the molecular weight and decrease with the degree of hydrolysis of the PVA sample (87–89 and 98–99%). From these results, it can be deduced that the compatibility of PVA and PDADMACl is due to specific intermolecular interactions that could be assigned mainly to electrostatic interactions between hydroxyl groups within PVA chains and ion atoms within PDADMACl. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 433–435, 2002     

Surface grafting of a poly(organophosphazene) onto poly(vinyl alcohol) and poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) using triethoxysilane as a coupling agent

Triethoxysilane HSi(OEt)₃ was used as coupling agent to graft a poly(organophosphazene) (POPZ) containing allylic functions to the surface of poly(vinyl alcohol) or poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) films. Hydrolyzed HSi(OEt)₃, which contained both inorganic (Si–OH) and organic (Si–H) reactivities, acted at the interface between the hydroxylated substrates (via a condensation reaction) and the allylic functions in POPZ (via a hydrosilylation reaction). Starting materials and grafting surfaces were studied by ATR-IR and XPS spectroscopies and contact angle measurements. Data obtained indicated that different POPZ layers were produced, depending on whether the functionalization of materials with silane, and the grafting reaction were separately or simultaneously made. The POPZ layer thickness was higher when the grafting reaction was preceded by the POPZ functionalization. In each cases, the modified surfaces showed marked increases in hydrophobicity character. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 69: 1965–1974, 1998     

Thermal characteristics of poly(vinyl alcohol) and poly(vinylpyrrolidone) IPNs

Interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogels based on poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and 1‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone (VP) were prepared by radical polymerization using 2,2‐dimethyl‐2‐phenylacetophenone (DMPAP) and methylene bisacrylicamide (MBAAm) as initiator and crosslinker, respectively. The thermal characterization of the IPNs was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and dielectric analysis (DEA). Depressions of the melting temperatures of PVA segments in IPNs were observed with increasing VP content via the DSC. The DEA was employed to ascertain the glass transition temperature (T_g) of IPNs. From the result of DEA, IPNs exhibited two T_gs indicating the presence of phase separation in the IPN. The thermal decomposition of IPNs was investigated using TGA and appeared at near 270°C. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 1844–1847, 2002     

Water sorption of poly(vinyl alcohol)/ poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) interpenetrating polymer network hydrogels

Temperature‐responsive interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogels constructed with poly(vinyl alcohol) and poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) using the sequential IPN method were studied. The characteristics of IPN hydrogels were investigated using the dynamic vapor sorption system. IPN hydrogels exhibited a relatively high sorption ratio, 180–360% at room temperature. The sorption ratio of hydrogels depended on temperature. Diffusion coefficients were calculated according to the Fickian Law at several temperatures. The apparent activation energy was 5.43 kJ mol^?1, which corresponds to typical diffusion processes. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 1389–1392, 2003     

Synthesis of poly(vinyl propionate) from poly(vinyl alcohol) in nonaqueous medium using ethyl nitrate dimethyl sulfoxide as a catalyst

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) can be dissolved in a nonaqueous medium in the presence of catalytic concentration of ethyl nitrate dimethyl sulfoxide, C₂H₅ONO₂·DMSO. From the PVA solution, poly(vinyl propionate), PVPR was prepared by the homogeneous esterification of PVA with propionic acid. The ester thus formed contained some unconverted hydroxyl group. The formation of the ester was confirmed by the IR and ¹H‐NMR spectra. The molecular weight of the ester was determined by GPC and intrinsic viscosity (η) was determined by viscometric method. Glass transition temperature, T_g, was obtained from differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) analysis. Thermal stabilities of the ester were checked by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermogravimetric (DTG) analysis. The efficiency of the ester as a flow improver of crude oil was also examined. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 5675–5679, 2006     

Continuous dosing of fast initiator during vinyl chloride suspension polymerization: Polymerization rate and PVC properties

Continuous dosing of a fast initiator during the suspension polymerization of vinyl chloride has been carried out in a pilot‐scale reactor. The kinetics course of this polymerization and the particle features of the resulting grains were discussed and compared to the conventional polymerization with the same conversion and maximum reaction rate. It was found for the system used that a suitable dosage trajectory allows the reaction rate to remain constant during polymerization. This decreases the polymerization time up to 53% compared with the conventional suspension polymerization, while the molecular weight distribution and molecular weight of the final grains remained almost unchanged. SEM micrographs revealed that PVC grains prepared using this polymerization process had irregularly shaped, uneven particle surfaces and larger particle sizes. The grains also featured high porosity with loosely aggregated smaller primary particles that led to low levels of residual unreacted monomer. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 44079.     

新型引发剂在氯乙烯悬浮聚合中的应用试验

通过试验,对过氧化新戊酸叔己酯与偶氮二异庚腈两种引发剂在氯乙烯悬浮聚合中的应用进行了比较.结果表明:过氧化新戊酸叔己酯的反应活性和相对分子质量比偶氮二异庚腈略低,水溶性略大;在相同条件下,过氧化新戊酸叔己酯的残留率高;在用量(物质的量)相同的条件下,二者使用效果相当.     

An experimental investigation of poly(vinyl chloride) emulsion polymerization: Effect of initiator and emulsifier concentrations on polymerization kinetics and product particle size

Effects of concentration changes in initiator species Na₂SO₃, (NH₄)₂S₂O₈ and CuSO₄, and emulsifier, ammonium stearate, on poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) emulsion polymerization kinetics and on product particle size were experimentally investigated. It was observed that to obtain industrially significant rates and overall conversions, not only an optimum concentration ratio of Na₂SO₃/(NH₄)₂S₂O₈/CuSO ₄ must be used, but also the concentrations of these species must be above certain limits. Increasing the concentration of the emulsifier used did not influence the rate of polymerization, but led to increases in limiting conversions. Product particle size analyses indicate that average particle size is independent of initiator concentration and rate of initiation. An increase in the emulsifier concentration on the other hand appears to lead to an increase in number of particles in the system and thus promotes smaller particle sizes.     

Internal plasticization of poly(vinyl chloride) by grafting acrylate copolymers via copper-mediated atom transfer radical polymerization

Internal plasticization of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) was achieved in one-step using copper-mediated atom transfer radical polymerization to graft different ratios of random n-butyl acrylate and 2–2-(2-ethoxyethoxy)ethyl acrylate copolymers from defect sites on the PVC chain. Five graft polymers were made with different ratios of poly(butyl acrylate) (PBA) and poly(2–2-(2-ethoxyethoxy)ethyl acrylate) (P2EEA); the glass transition temperatures (T_g) of functionalized PVC polymers range from − 25 to − 50°C. Single T_g values were observed for all polymers, indicating good compatibility between PVC and grafted chains, with no evidence of microphase separation. Plasticization efficiency is higher for polyether P2EEA moieties compared with PBA components. The resultant PVC graft copolymers are thermally more stable compared to unmodified PVC. Increasing the reaction scale from 2 to 14 g produces consistent and reproducible results, suggesting this method could be applicable on an industrial scale.     

Effect of the phase ratio on the particle properties of poly(vinyl chloride) resins produced by suspension polymerization

The effects of the dispersed phase to continuous phase ratio (weight of VCM (gr)/weight of water (gr) (φ = g_VCM/g_water)) on the particle properties of a poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) suspension were investigated experimentally. A series of experiments were performed with different φ values in a pilot‐scale reactor. The cold plasticizer absorption of the resin decreased with φ. Scanning electron micrographs showed that by the reduction of φ, many of the produced particles had a regular shape, a smooth surface, and greater porosity. An increase in φ caused a wider and multimodal particle size distribution of the produced PVC particles. The mean particle size and bulk density also increased with φ, whereas the molecular weight and polydispersity index did not change. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Effect of degree of polymerization on gelation and flow processability of poly(vinyl chloride)

The effect of degree of polymerization (DP) on the gelation and flow processability of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) was studied. Sheets with adjusted degree of gelation were prepared by rolling rigid pipe formulation suspension PVC compounds with DPs of 800, 1050 and 1300 by changing the milling temperature. Their degrees of gelation were measured with DSC and their capillary flow properties were measured with a capillary rheometer at 150, 170 and 190°C and the effect of DP on the relation between gelation and flow processabilities was studied. Because of the higher shearing heat during milling, the sample with the higher DP had a higher history temperature and thus tended to show a higher degree of gelation. The viscosity increased as the gelation increased. The dependency of viscosity on DP was higher at higher milling and extrusion temperatures and thus at a higher degree of gelation and a lower shear rate. This was assumed to be attributed to the more prominent uniform molecular flow as against the particle flow. The die swell increased with increasing the milling and extrusion temperatures and hence with increasing the gelation. A sample with a lower DP tended to show a larger die swell and this tendency was even more pronounced at the higher extrusion temperature. The melt fracture easily occurred when a sample with advanced gelation was extruded at low temperature. Whereas at low milling temperatures a sample with the lower DP showed a lower critical shear rate at onset of melt fracture, and thus easily generating melt fracture, at high milling temperatures it showed a higher critical shear rate and hence scarcely generated melt fracture. These experimental results were explained by the fact and concept that a sample with a lower DP shows a higher increase in the gelation during extrusion and/or the slighter feature of particle flow as against the uniform molecular flow at the same gelation level. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 1915–1938, 2004