Effects of diffusion of a naturally-derived plasticizer from soft PVC

Soft PVC was obtained by using a new plasticizer, based on cardanol, a renewable resource characterized by chemical and physical properties very close to those of diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP). Cardanol acetate (CA) was obtained by solvent free esterification of cardanol, and used as secondary plasticizer, by partial substitution of DEHP in soft PVC formulations. Ageing tests were performed in order to study the stability of properties of the soft PVC formulations related to plasticizer diffusion. Tensile properties and hardness changes were used to monitor the macroscopic effects of plasticizer diffusion. Soft PVC obtained by partial substitution of DEHP by CA showed a significant modification of mechanical properties related to a higher plasticizer evaporation during ageing tests. Migration tests confirmed that CA is characterized by a higher diffusivity in soft PVC compared to DEHP.