Macrodiols Derived from CO2‑Based Polycarbonate as an Environmentally Friendly and Sustainable PVC Plasticizer: Effect of Hydrogen-Bond Formation

A macrodiol was successfully synthesized by the alcoholysis of high-molecular-weight poly­(propylene carbonate) (PPC). The molecular weight can readily be controlled in a range from 600 to 1500 Da. The low-molecular weight macrodiols can be effectively used as an environmentally friendly and sustainable plasticizer for poly­(vinyl chloride) (PVC) to substitute the traditional phthalate plasticizers. For enhancing the plasticizing effect, the macrodiols were further end-capped to transfer its hydroxyl groups into aromatic esters. The experiment results showed that the synthesized PPC macrodiols can effectively plasticize PVC by comparing with commonly used bis­(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DOP). The PVC sample plasticized using 30 wt % PPC macrodiol exhibited a tensile strength of 14.73 MPa with an elongation at break up to 415%, together with a relevant high impact strength compared with the samples plasticized with DOP. Finally, the PVC/PPC macrodiol demonstrated a dramatically low migration rate due to the relatively high molecular weight of PPC macrodiols. The most interested concerning is the inherent biodegradable nature of PPC macrodiols that endows the as-plasticized PVC biodegradability. This technology provides a brand new plasticizer for PVC and extends its application in various fields.