Blends of vinylic copolymer with plasticized lignin: Thermal and mechanical properties

The article presents an investigation into the use of plasticizers for reducing the degree of association existing within lignin molecules, in order to overcome adverse effects on the mechanical properties of its blends with a vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate (VC-VAc) copolymer. Infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry were performed to examine the effect of the plasticizer type and concentration in plasticizing Alcell, an organosolv lignin. The results show that the compatibility and efficiency of a plasticizer are strongly influenced by the solubility parameter, which should be close to that of the lignin. Polyblends prepared with several plasticizers, Alcell lignin, and the VC-VAc copolymer were also investigated by thermal analysis and mechanical testing. Variations in the mechanical properties of these blends were found to correlate with the lignin dispersion quality and with the plasticizer efficiency in Alcell lignin.