Dynamic polymer additives for recycling polyvinylchloride

Polyvinylchloride’s (PVC’s) exceptional mechanical properties and chemical stability make it an ideal material for applications in infrastructure. The PVC pipes that are widely used in municipal water systems, irrigation, and industry are sustainable, long-lasting, and resistant to weathering and leaking. Yet, degradation during recycling makes PVC exceedingly difficult to recycle, limiting its sustainability. Phthalate plasticizers and organotin stabilizers mitigate the degradation challenges associated with recycling. Yet, these plasticizers and stabilizers are toxic and can compromise the mechanical properties that make PVC so advantageous. We propose a novel approach to improving the recyclability of PVC that would not compromise the mechanical properties of the recycled materials. Dynamic polymers will be developed as temperature-responsive plasticizers for PVC recycling. These polymers will be designed to deconstruct into plasticizers in response to the high temperatures associated with PVC recycling, making the melt reprocessable. Upon cooling post-recycling, the plasticizers will reconnect into high molecular polymers, thereby preventing them from leaching, while also minimizing their impact on the mechanical properties of the recycled PVC materials. The dynamic polymers will be prepared by adding thermally dynamic Diels-Alder adducts into the backbone of polyacrylates by radical ring-opening polymerization.

Faculty Supervisor:

Elisabeth Prince

Student:

Partner:

IPEX Technologies Inc

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

University of Waterloo

Program: