Self-Plasticization of PVC Materials via Chemical Modification of Mannich Base of Cardanol Butyl Ether

The internally plasticized PVC materials by displacement of chlorine with mannich base of cardanol butyl ether, that is, the covalent attachment of the cardanol-based internal plasticizer to the PVC matrix, is descried for the first time. The chemical structure and properties of cardanol-based internal plasticizer and internally plasticized PVC materials was characterized. The results showed that the Tg of self-plasticization PVC material decreased from 85.6 to 49.3 °C when chlorine atoms in PVC were substituted with mannich base of cardanol butyl ether, tensile strength decreased from 30.33 to 18.86 MPa, and the elongation at break increased from 180.37% to 357.20%, which illustrated that mannich base of cardanol butyl ether played internally plasticized effect on PVC. The internal plasticization mechanism was also studied. Self-plasticization PVC films showed no migration in n-hexane, but 15.7% of DOP leached from the DOP/PVC system into n-hexane. The PVC materials were expected to be commercial application in producing food packing, toys, and medical devices with high requirements in migration resistance.