Preparation and application of triglyceride plasticizers for poly(vinyl chloride)

A series of triglyceride plasticizers were prepared from glycerol, acetic acid, and benzoic acid through a two‐step reaction to develop potential uses of glycerol. The optimum reaction conditions were determined by the esterification of glycerol and acetic acid to produce glyceryl triacetate. When the molar ratio of glycerol to benzoic acid to acetic acid was 1:1:3.5, a novel plasticizer triglyceride mixture (GTM) was successfully synthesized; it had a good plasticizing effect on poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). The elongation at break of PVC composites containing 80 phr GTM increased around 350%; the corresponding hardness (Shore D) and tensile strength decreased to around 35 D and 20 MPa, respectively. Moreover, the glass‐transition temperature (Tg) of PVC composites containing 40 phr GTM decreased to around 50°C.