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Blends of vinylic copolymer with plasticized lignin: Thermal and mechanical properties
Author(s) -
Feldman D.,
Banu D.,
Campanelli J.,
Zhu H.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.1505
Subject(s) - plasticizer , lignin , materials science , organosolv , copolymer , differential scanning calorimetry , vinyl acetate , solubility , polymer chemistry , hildebrand solubility parameter , chemical engineering , polymer , composite material , organic chemistry , chemistry , physics , engineering , thermodynamics
The article presents an investigation into the use of plasticizers for reducing the degree of association existing within lignin molecules, in order to overcome adverse effects on the mechanical properties of its blends with a vinyl chloride–vinyl acetate (VC–VAc) copolymer. Infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry were performed to examine the effect of the plasticizer type and concentration in plasticizing Alcell, an organosolv lignin. The results show that the compatibility and efficiency of a plasticizer are strongly influenced by the solubility parameter, which should be close to that of the lignin. Polyblends prepared with several plasticizers, Alcell lignin, and the VC–VAc copolymer were also investigated by thermal analysis and mechanical testing. Variations in the mechanical properties of these blends were found to correlate with the lignin dispersion quality and with the plasticizer efficiency in Alcell lignin. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 81: 861–874, 2001