Synthesis and properties of bio‐based environmental plasticizer derived from oleic acid for poly (vinyl chloride)

Abstract

Using the abundant and cost‐effective oleic acid and isosorbide with excellent properties as raw materials, the plasticizers of isosorbide di‐oleate (IDO) and isosorbide di‐epoxidized oleate (IDEO) with good plasticizing effect, low cost and green safety were synthesized by esterification and epoxidation reaction. The molecular structure of the synthesized plasticizers was characterized by FT‐IR and 1H NMR. The PVC shows better flexibility when IDEO or IDO plasticizer is used than commercial DOP. In particular, IDEO‐40 has 34% higher tensile strength and 17% higher elongation at break than DOP‐40. The introduction of epoxy groups on the carbon–carbon double bond of fatty acids meets the high thermal stability of plasticized film. The residual amount of IDEO‐40 is 7.01%, and at a high temperature of 180 °C, it can maintain high heat resistance for more than 220 min and transmittance of over 86%. Moreover, IDEO demonstrates excellent resistance to migration and volatilization. However, PVC films plasticized with IDO display reduced mechanical properties, cold resistance, and resistance to volatilization and migration due to the presence of non‐rotating carbon–carbon double bonds. The results indicate that these bio‐based plasticizers hold promise for practical applications in PVC products, offering improved environmental sustainability and performance characteristics.