Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Journal of Polymers and the Environment https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-019-01383-5 ORIGINAL PAPER Methyl Acetyl Ricinoleate as Polyvinyl Chloride Plasticizer N. V. Gama 1  · R. Santos 1  · B. Godinho 1  · R. Silva 2  · A. Ferreira 1,3 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2019 Abstract The use of alternative plasticizers with low toxicity and good compatibility with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has become more attractive in the recent years in contrast with the phthalate derivatives. In this study, an additive derived from castor oil (methyl acetyl ricinoleate—MAR) was tested as a plasticizer for PVC. MAR was added to PVC in a range of 50–90 PHR and the increase of the plasticizer content had a great efect on maximum tension and tension at 100% of PVC samples. Moreover, the elongation at break also increased with the increase of plasticizer content. The good miscibility with PVC and therefore efcient plasticization action of MAR were proved by the DMA results, since narrow peaks of tan (δ) curves were observed. Moreover, the increase of MAR content reduced the Tg values of the samples [from 8.2 °C (50 PHR) to − 25.6 °C (90 PHR)]. PVC samples obtained using this bio-based plasticizer demonstrated good rheological properties [the increase of plasticizer content increased the MFI from 3.977 (50 PHR) up to 44.244 g.10 min −1 (90 PHR)] and proved to be thermally stable up to 200 °C. Finally, the MAR PVCs presented lower densities and lower hardness when compared with those produced from traditional plasticizes which are important aspects for the manufactories and consumers of PVC. In that sense, MAR proved to be a suitable plasticizer for PVC which may fnd a broad range of applications in the electric wires, carpets, hoses, shoes and construction industry, among many others. Keywords Polyvinyl chloride · Plasticizer · Methyl acetyl ricinoleate · Castor oil Introduction Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has been produced since the begin- ning of the twentieth century [1] and soon was realized that PVC could be used for a wide range of applications such as cable covering [2], fooring [3], packaging [4], coatings [5], pipes [6], among many others. For these reasons and due to its relative low cost and high versatility, PVC is one of the most common polymers used in our day life. PVC without plasticizer is a rigid polymer at room temperature with a low thermal stability. Nevertheless, its properties can be easily modifed by the presence of suitable additives and one of the most important additives used in PVC compounds are the plasticizers which acts as spacer between molecules of the polymer. Therefore, PVC com- pounds are normally produced from the combination of the polymer with additives which gives the suitable properties to the material [7]. The plasticizers are mainly used to reduce the melt viscosity, to lower the transition temperature or to lower the elastic modulus of PVC as it weakens the intermo- lecular bonds of the polymer which facilitate its processing [8, 9]. The most commonly used plasticizers were the tere- phthalates, constituting 92% of all plasticizers [10]. How- ever some of these plasticizers has been banned in the last decades due to their toxicity [11, 12]. Actually, there are plasticizers in the market with poten- tial to be used as replacements of the phthalate derived coun- terparts. Some of these plasticizers are adipates, nevertheless others have been used for specifc purposes, mostly because of the higher price of adipates [10]. Another important class of phthalate replacement plasticizers are those derived from natural products such as from biomass resources or the veg- etable oils derivatives [13–17]. Two of the reasons that drive * A. Ferreira artur.ferreira@ua.pt 1 CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials and Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro – Campus Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal 2 Sapec-Química SA, Urbanização Tower Plaza, 4400-699 Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal 3 CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials and Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gestão de Águeda, Rua Comandante Pinho e Freitas, nº 28, 3750 – 127 Águeda, Portugal