No abstract

In this work, poly(vinyl chloride)/poly(epichlorohydrinco-ethylene oxide) (PVC/ECO)/organoclay nanocomposites were prepared via melt processing and their fusion behaviors were comprehensively investigated. In this way, response surface methodology was employed to study the main and interactive effects of three parameters (Cloisite 30B content, ECO content, and rotor speed) on fusion of the PVC matrix. The results showed that ECO rubber has a negative influence on the fusion process, while optimal levels of other parameters are appropriate. Furthermore, the interactive plots revealed significant mutual effects of the parameters. Also, optimized levels of the parameters for achieving the best response were obtained by using contour plots. Since additives in PVC compounds have considerable effects