Synthesis internal-plasticized PVC copolymer resin from industrial application view: Copolymerization of vinyl chloride with poly(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether methacrylate via suspension polymerization

Abstract

Developing internal-plasticized poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) resin has been recognized as an effective way to deal with the issues of conventional PVC products such as toxicity and deterioration in properties caused by the migration of plasticizer. Herein, the copolymerization of vinyl chloride with commercial available poly(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA) is firstly conducted via suspension polymerization and internally plasticized random copolymers (PVEGA) are synthesized successfully. These PVEGA copolymers were intensively characterized by FTIR, 1H NMR, GPC, DSC, DMTA, and SEM to determine the composition, number-average molecular weight (Mn), dispersity, glass transition temperature (Tg), and the micromorphology. As a result, the high transparency and the fracture images demonstrated the good compatability between PVC chains with long-chain polyether. The Tg of PVEGA decreased gradually from 80 to 0 °C with the fraction of PEGMA in the copolymer increased from 7 to 37 %. Furthermore, the PVEGA copolymer exhibits outstanding processibility and mechanical performance. Under optimal composition, the tensile strength and the elongation at break can reach to 8 MPa and 525 %, respectively. Meanwhile, the PVEGA copolymers exhibit much lower migration either in water or in orgnic solvent and excellent performance in hemolysis and cytotoxicity, showing great application potential in medical devices.