Radiation crosslinking of poly(vinyl chloride) with trimethylolpropanetrimethacrylate. IV. Effect of diundecyl phthalate: Dependence of physical properties on composition

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Abstract
Blends of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) with polyfunctional monomers may be crosslinked by ionizing radiation. The physical properties of PVC blended with trimethylolpropanetrimethacrylate (TMPTMA) and diundecyl phthalate (DUP) were studied. The TMPTMA monomer crosslinked the blend by homopolymerization and/or grafting to PVC. The plasticizer, DUP, was chemically inert under irradiation but, by plasticizing the macromolecules and diluting the monomer, changed the kinetics extensively. Characteristics of the glass transitions and the tensile mechanical properties have been correlated with blend composition and radiation dose. Before irradiation, poly(vinyl chloride) was plasticized by both DUP and TMPTMA monomer. The increase in glass transition temperature and mechanical strength following irradiation to 5 Mrad was correlated with the TMPTMA content of the blend. Both the molecular structure of the network and the DUP content of the blend were factors in determining the physical properties of the final crosslinked blend. The molecular structure was determined by the kinetics of the crosslinking reactions, which in turn were determined by the blend composition. A molecular interpretation consistent with the physical properties, chemical kinetics, and mechanism of the crosslinking system has been presented.