Flow properties of poly (vinyl chloride)

A detailed review of the material published to date on the flow properties of poly(vinyl chloride) is given. The dependence of viscosity on concentration molecular weight, molecular weight distribution, shear and temperature for concentrated and molten poly (vinyl chloride) is considered. Polymer blends and plastisols are also included.     

Rheological and mechanical properties of poly(vinyl chloride)/chlorinated poly(vinyl chloride) miscible blends

The properties of poly(vinyl chlorlde)/ehlorinated poly(vinyl chloride) (61.6 percent C1) blends, prepared by melt and solution blending, were measured by various tests. Based on the chlorinated poly(vinyl chloride) (CPVC) composition, percent chlorine, and mole percent CC1₂ groups, these blends were expected to show intermediate properties between miscible and immiscible systems. Indicative of miscible behavior were the single glass transition temperatures over the entire composition range for both melt and solution blended mixtures. A single phase was also indicated by transmission electron microscopy. However, the yield stress showed a minimum value less than either of the pure components in the 50 to 75 percent CPVC range, which is characteristic of two-phased systems. Specific volume, glass transition temperature, and heat distortion temperature were linear with binary composition. The storage modulus showed a small maximum, suggesting a weak interaction between the two miscible polymers. Heats of melting for the residual PVC crystallinity were also less than expected from linear additivity. At 160°C and 210°C, the logarithm of the complex viscosity was essentially linear with volume fraction of CPVC, except for a very slight decrease in the 50 to 75 percent CPVC range, which may have been a result of lower crystallinity. At 140°C, the complex viscosity of the CPVC was less than that of PVC owing to the higher crystallinity of the latter. The viscosities were similar at 160°C, but at 210°C, where most of the crystallites had melted, the complex viscosity of the CPVC was higher because of its higher glass transition temperature.     

Correlation between some solution and mechanical properties of poly(vinyl chloride) and chlorinated poly(vinyl chloride)

Correlations have been found between solubility parameters and some mechanical properties of a series of vinyl polymers containing 56.6–69.9% chlorine when tested below their glass transition temperature. It is shown that stress at yield increases similarly with chlorine content and with the volume occupied by a monomer unit in the polymer. Using the Reiner-Weissenberg theory of the dynamic strength of materials as a criterion and a rheological model based on a pair of Maxwell bodies in parallel with a Hooke spring, the amount of dissipated and conserved work to yield point was calculated. A parameter, defined as the ratio of work to cohesive energy density, describes the efficiency of the system. The overall efficiency of the system, based on work to break, and proportional efficiency, based on work to yield point, are affected by chlorine content and strain rate. In addition, a potential energy parameter is defined which describes the cohesive energy per volume occupied by monomer unit of the polymer. This parameter is proportional to the total work to break as well as to the ratio of the residual work after yield to total work at all strain rates tested. The major portion of work is conserved up to yield; only a small portion is dissipated. From the yield point to break, after the onset of viscous flow, the major part of this work is dissipated.     

Electrical properties of poly(vinyl chloride) compositions

A sample of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and a polar plasticizer consisting of dioctyl phthalate (DOP) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) was prepared and found to possess inconvenient electrical properties (permittivity, dielectric loss, and conductivity). Different samples of PVC compositions were formulated from the PVC–DOP–DBP system and also variable proportions of a copolymer of 1-octadecene-maleic anhydride or its hexadecylester. Lead stearate as a heat stabilizer and kaolin as a filler were added. The effect of copolymer structure on the electrical properties of the PVC–DOP–DBP system was studied to obtain a plasticized PVC of good electrical insulation character. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The powder properties of poly(vinyl chloride) resins

The properties of powders depend mainly upon the characteristics of the individual particles and their interactions. In the case of PVC resins, particle characteristics vary broadly depending upon the manufacturing process used or variables within a given process. In this paper, the effects of grain size, size distribution, grain shape, degree of compaction and static on the bulk density and flow properties of PVC resins are studied. Results indicate that grain shape mainly affects bulk density while grain size and distribution mainly affect powder flow. The degree of compaction and the amount of static on the resin grains are variables which can overwhelm other powder properties.     

Surface properties of carbons from poly(vinyl chloride)

Non-activated carbons were prepared by the thermal degradation of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) in air or nitrogen atmosphere in the temperature range 600-1000°C. Carbon dioxide-activated carbons from PVC were also obtained by gasification of non-activated carbon from PVC at 900°C burn-off (4-50%). Thermal degradation in air atmosphere gave high carbon yield because the oxygen of air increased crosslinking at lower temperature and chemisorbed on the carbon surface at high temperatures. Thermal degradation in air and gasification with carbon dioxide created carbon-oxygen surface groups which increased the hydrophilicity of the carbon surface and consequently increased water adsorption capacity. Gasification with carbon dioxide to high burn-off created new pores and widened already existing pores.     

Mechanical properties of biaxially oriented poly(vinyl chloride)

This report describes the influence, of (a) degree of biaxial orientation, (b) stretching rate, and (c) stretching temperature on the tensile, dynamic mechanical and dielectric properties of non-impact modified PVC. A new parameter designated “planar strain” is used to correlate anisotropic property values with both equal and unequal biaxial stretching in a single two-dimensional plot, thereby providing a direct comparison of the effects of two or more biaxial stretching ratios. It is shown that optimum stretching conditions depend to some extent upon end use and that a 2 × 2 stretch ratio is optimum for impact resistance. The actual property/processing condition relationships exhibit very complicated interactions and are correlated empirically in this study. The dynamic measurements suggest that overall local segmental beta motion is increased after orientation but that the relative chain alignment makes it more difficult to activate this motion.     

Rheological and mechanical properties of plasticized poly(vinyl chloride)

The dependence of rheological properties of a plasticized, filled poly(vinyl chloride) compound on three different methods of thermomechanical treatments has been studied. These three different states of the compound are the dry blend mixed at a maximum temperature of 93°C, the two-roll milled sample prepared at 150°C from the dry blend and the molded sample pressed at 170°C from the previously milled material. At 150°C the viscosity and elasticity of the molded sample are considerably higher than those of the dry blend and the milled sample. At higher temperatures, although their flow curves more or less merge, extrudate swell, extrudate appearance and extrudate tensile properties of the three samples vary. The mechanical and Theological properties of the quenched and annealed molded samples and those of the same compound without filler have also been investigated.     

Reaction kinetics of thermoplastic polyurethane polymerization in situ with poly(vinyl chloride)

In this study, the reaction kinetics of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) polymerization in situ with poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) was characterized with differential scanning calorimetry. The presence of PVC appeared to enhance the thermodynamic drive for TPU hard segment phase separation and domain ordering from the PVC/TPU reactant mixture. Prior to hard segment phase separation, and thus some critical conversion, TPU polymerization in situ with PVC obeyed the same nth order, phenomenological kinetic rate law followed by neat TPU polymerization. In addition, the overall rate constant employed in the rate law increased in the presence of PVC. After hard segment phase separation, and the resulting physical cross-linking of the PVC/TPU reactant mixture, the reaction kinetics of TPU polymerization in situ with PVC became diffusion controlled.     

The solubility of vinyl chloride in poly(vinyl chloride)

The solubility of vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) in PVC powders has been studied by equilibrium vapor pressure and microbalance gravimetric techniques at temperatures from 30 to 110°C. At temperatures and VCM concentrations above the glass transition, the solubility closely follows the Flory-Huggins equation with χ = 0.98 and is independent of temperature and of the PVC type, molecular weight, or history. In the glassy state, the VCM solubility is higher than the Flory-Huggins value and shows pronounced dependence upon time and the PVC history. These results have been interpreted through the dual-mode sorption concept of Michaels, Vieth, and Barrie: Normal dissolution follows the Flory-Huggins relation, and the additional glassy-state solubility represents the contribution of a hole-filling process. Changes in solubility with time and sample history parallel well-known volume relaxation processes, indicating that vapor solubility measurements offer a direct and sensitive measure of the free-volume state of glassy polymers.     

Blends of plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) and waste flexible poly(vinyl chloride) with waste nitrile rubber powder

Blends of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) with varying contents of plasticizer and finely ground powder of waste nitrile rubber rollers were prepared over a wide range of rubber contents through high‐temperature blending. The effects of rubber and plasticizer (dioctyl phthalate) content on the tensile strength, percentage elongation, impact properties, hardness, abrasion resistance, flexural crack resistance, limiting oxygen index (LOI), electrical properties, and breakdown voltage were studied. The percentage elongation, flexural crack resistance, and impact strength of blends increased considerably over those of PVC. The waste rubber had a plasticizing effect. Blends of waste plasticized PVC and waste nitrile rubber showed promising properties. The electrical properties and LOI decreased with increasing rubber and plasticizer content. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 1552–1558, 2004     

Effect of poly(epichlorohydrin) on the thermal and mechanical properties of poly(vinyl chloride)

Five kinds of polyepichlorohydrin (PECH) of different molecular weights were synthesized and characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Mechanical blending was used to mix PECH and poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) together. The blends of different PVC/PECH ratios were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), tensile tests, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). TGA results show the thermal stability of PVC/PECH blends is desirable. Tensile tests indicate elongation at break is raised by increasing both the amount and the molecular weight of PECH. DSC is used to determine the glass transition temperature of PECH, and a quite low T_g is obtained. DMA results indicate that PECH has a perfect compatibility with PVC, when PECH concentration is below 20 wt %. There is only one peak in each tan δ curve, and the corresponding T_g decreases as PECH amount increases. However, above 20 wt %, phase separation takes place. The molecular weight of PECH also has a great influence on the glass transition temperature of the blends. This study shows that PECH is an excellent plasticizer for PVC, and one can tailor the glass transition temperature and tensile properties by changing the amount and the molecular weight of PECH. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Empirical correlation of flow properties of poly(vinyl chloride)

Empirical correlations of flow properties of poly(vinyl chloride) were made using data reported by a number of investigators. Correlation was made by plotting the reduced variable viscosity η/η₀ versus \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ (\eta _0 \dot \gamma \bar M_w )/(_\rho RT) $\end{document} or \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ (\eta _0 \dot \gamma \bar M_w ^{0.5} )/(_\rho RT) $\end{document} for unplasticized PVC and versus \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ (\eta _0 \dot \gamma \bar M_w ^{0.5} )/(_\rho RTW_2 ^a ) $\end{document} with polymer concentration, W₂, for PVC containing plasticizer.     

Improved falling weight impact test for poly(vinyl chloride) products

A modified impact test using a 6.35 millimeter diameter tapered impacting tool has been developed to test profiles above 2.5 millimeters in thickness. The new method also helps to find the ductile-brittle transition easily. It is even more important for the prediction of toughness, especially for exterior applications, than the minimum energy required for any type of failure.     

Modification of poly(vinyl chloride). XIX. Electroplating of poly(vinyl chloride)

As a preliminary treatment in the PVC-electroplating procedure, treatment with dimethylformamide followed by sensitization leads to a finely roughened and a highly hydrophilic surface with reducing power. This is caused by the formation of an ionic complex compound between dimethylformamide and tin(II) chloride absorbed in the PVC surface. A much more finely and deeply etched surface which exhibits higher adhesion through the mechanical interlocking effect is obtained with the PVC blends containing the plasticizer with a low value of interaction parameter and with a solubility parameter approximate to that of PVC. Adhesion of the metal layer to the PVC surface thus obtained is improved about 1.5 times by thermal aging at 120°C for 20 min.     

Effect of compatibility between solvent and poly(vinyl chloride) on dechlorination of poly(vinyl chloride)

In this study, the use of diethylene glycol (DEG), triethylene glycol (TEG), n-C₁₀H₂₁OH, and ethylene glycol (EG) as solvents for NaOH in the dechlorination of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) was investigated. In the early reaction time, the degrees of dechlorination for DEG, TEG, and n-C₁₀H₂₁OH were notably higher than that for EG. Further, the high compatibility between PVC and the solvents was considered to result in the easy penetration of the solvent and OH⁻ into PVC particles, leading to the acceleration of dechlorination in the early reaction stage. An improvement of the dechlorination was actually observed for DEG and TEG compared with EG. The solvent with the best compatibility to PVC, n-C₁₀H₂₁OH, however, showed little improvement due to the formation of a protective polyene layer on the surface of the PVC particles.     

Miscibility in poly(vinyl chloride)/chlorinated poly(vinyl chloride) blends,and blends of different chlorinated poly(vinyl chlorides)

Blends of poly(vinyl chloride) with chlorinated poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC), and blends of different chlorinated poly(vinyl chlorides) (CPVC) provide an opportunity to examine systematically the effect that small changes in chemical structure have on polymer-polymer miscibility. Phase diagrams of PVC/CPVC blends have been determined for CPVC's containing 62 to 38 percent chlorine. The characteristics of binary blends of CPVC's of different chlorine contents have also been examined using differential calorimetry (DSC) and transmission electron microscopy. Their mutual solubility has been found to be very sensitive to their differences in mole percent CCl₂ groups and degree of chlorination. In metastable binary blends of CPVC's possessing single glass transition temperatures (T_g) the rate of phase separation, as followed by DSC, was found to be relatively slow at temperatures 45 to 65° above the T_g of the blend.     

Optical properties of poly(vinyl chloride)-gel-based microlens arrays

We use a poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) gel and an electrode to fabricate adaptive microlens arrays (MLAs). The electrode has a zoned-array pattern. By applying a direct current voltage to the electrode, the PVC gel on each zoned electrode exhibited the character of a lens. The imaging of the MLA can be analyzed using either an optical microscope or a beam profiler or both. The topography of the PVC gel can be measured using an optical surface profiler. Compared to the imaging and focusing, the topographic map can discover additional information about the performances of the MLA. For example, the focal length of each lens in the MLA can be calculated precisely, and the aberration of the MLA can also be evaluated. Results show that the surface profile is an important factor for characterizing the performance of PVC-gel-based MLA. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47407.     

Preparation and properties of some filled poly(vinyl chloride) compositions

Different samples of filled poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) compositions were formulated from PVC, a polar plasticizer mixture consisting of dioctylphthalate (DOP) and a chlorinated paraffin, and variable proportions of a white filler such as barite, calcium carbonate, kaoline, quartz, or talc; a conductive filler such as High Abrasion Furnace (HAF) carbon black; or a hydrated mineral filler such as aluminium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, or calcium hydroxide. Epoxidized soybean oil as a heat stabilizer and sandorin red (BRN) pigment were added. Electrical and mechanical studies show that the incorporation of white fillers produces a plasticized PVC of good electrical insulation character whereas the addition of HAF carbon black produces a sample with some electrical conductivity; both of them have good mechanical properties. Of the hydrated fillers studied aluminium hydroxide has been found to impart the best fire retardancy and good electrical properties for electric wires and cables. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 73: 2657–2670, 1999     

Viscoelastic and engineering properties of poly(vinyl chloride) plasticized with polycaprolactone-based polyurethanes

The plasticization of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) by polyurethanes made from polycaprolactone (PCL) diol and p.p′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) was investigated. By varying the PCL chain length and substituting with polyether chains such as poly(tetramethylene ether) (PTME) or poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), also of various chain lengths, the efficiency of plasticization was changed. High urethane content, such as obtained with PCL-530/MDI, decreased the miscibility of the polyurethane and PVC. Plasticizing efficiency of the polyurethanes, as indicated by transparency, flexibility, and engineering properties of the blend, increased on increasing the initial PCL chain length. However, polyurethanes containing very high-molecular-weight PCL (e.g., PCL-3000) slowly crystallized from a 50:50 blend with PVC. PVC/polyurethane ratio also had a significant effect on crystallization, as indicated by the rapid crystallization of PCL-2000/MDI polyurethane when it exceeded 50 wt % in the blend. The transparency and flexiblity of 50:50 blends were lowered by systematically replacing PVC-miscible PCL-2000 segments in the polyurethane with PTME-2000, PEO-200, and PEO-1500 segments. The polyurethanes became highly immiscible in PVC beyond the limiting mole fraction replacements of 0.6 for PTME-2000, 0.8 for PEO-200, and 0.4 for PEO-1500. Such chemical modification gave controlled and temperature-dependent miscibility in PVC and consequently blends with broadened glass transitions and high damping properties over a wide temperature range. Decreased miscibility in the blend gradually decreased elongation at break and tensile strength, but increased the modulus. A general correlation of the viscoelastic and tensile properties of the 50:50 blends with the weight fraction, rather than mole fraction, of the PCL content in the polyurethane composition was found; replacement of PCL beyond a limiting weight fraction by polyethers and MDI produced PVC-immiscible polyurethane. These limiting weight fractions are 0.6, 0.5, and 0.4 with PTME-2000, PEO-200, and PEO-1500, respectively, which denotes the order of decreasing miscibility of these polyurethanes in PVC. Viscoelastic and engineering properties of the blend with a particular polyurethane could also be controlled by varying the PVC/polyurethane ratio. Many of these semimiscible blends showed evidence by lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior at about ?30°C, but complete cloud and point curves were not constructed.