Plasticization of cellulose diacetate by reaction with maleic anhydride,glycerol, and citrate esters during melt processing

To accomplish the stable internal plasticization of cellulose diacetate (CDA), maleic anhydride (MAH) and glycerol (Gly) were used as reactive plasticizers. The plasticization method used was based on a melt‐processing reaction of CDA with MAH and Gly. MAH and Gly (MG)‐plasticized CDA showed stiff and brittle properties; that is, low elongation at break and high modulus. Thus, citrate esters were used as coplasticizers to improve physical properties. The resulted plasticized materials were optically clear, and showed attractive mechanical properties. The grafting of MG oligoesters to the free hydroxyl groups in CDA and their homo‐oligomerization were accelerated by two‐step kneading process, and verified by FTIR and GPC measurements. Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) analysis revealed decreases of 80–100°C in the glass transition temperature (T_g) of CDA by these plasticizations. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 81: 243–250, 2001