Substitution of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate by di(isononyl) cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylate as a plasticizer for industrial vinyl plastisol formulations

The use of plasticizers with low environmental impact is one of the most interesting research fields in the plasticizer additives industry because of the possible toxicity of o‐phthalates. Among the wide variety of new plasticizers, it is important to note the use of di(isononyl) cyclohexane‐1,2‐dicarboxylate (DINCH), which shows a structure similar to the most commonly used o‐phthalates, that is, diisononyl phthalate and di(2‐ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). It is necessary to evaluate the processing conditions (temperature and curing time) regarding the mechanical properties to study the possibilities for substituting conventional plasticizers and to determine whether changes in the processing conditions are needed for use in industrial applications. In this work, we carried out a comparative study of the optimum curing conditions and mechanical performance of DEHP and DINCH as plasticizers. The obtained results show that the viscosities of DINCH and DEHP‐based plastisols were similar. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of the flexible poly(vinyl chloride) obtained from DINCH‐based plastisols were very interesting for industrial applications. All of this favored the substitution of DEHP by DINCH as plasticizer for flexible poly‐ (vinyl chloride). © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 1215–1220, 2007