Mechanical Properties of PVC/TPU Blends Enhanced with a Sustainable Bio-Plasticizer

Yitbarek Firew Minale, Ivan Gajdoš (), Pavol Štefčák, Tamás Szabó, Annamaria Polyákné Kovács, Andrea Ádámné Major and Kálmán Marossy
Additional contact information
Yitbarek Firew Minale: Institute of Energy, Ceramics and Polymer Technology, University of Miskolc, 3515 Miskolc-Oghenemaro’s, Hungary
Ivan Gajdoš: Institute of Technology and Material Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Košice, 04001 Košice, Slovakia
Pavol Štefčák: Institute of Technology and Material Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Košice, 04001 Košice, Slovakia
Tamás Szabó: Institute of Energy, Ceramics and Polymer Technology, University of Miskolc, 3515 Miskolc-Oghenemaro’s, Hungary
Annamaria Polyákné Kovács: Institute of Energy, Ceramics and Polymer Technology, University of Miskolc, 3515 Miskolc-Oghenemaro’s, Hungary
Andrea Ádámné Major: Department of Innovative Vehicles and Materials, Johnvon Neumann University, 6000 Kecskemét, Hungary
Kálmán Marossy: Institute of Energy, Ceramics and Polymer Technology, University of Miskolc, 3515 Miskolc-Oghenemaro’s, Hungary

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 5, 1-16

Abstract: The development of sustainable and mechanically versatile polymeric materials is essential to meet the growing demand for eco-friendly, high-performance products. This study investigates the mechanical properties of blends comprising polyvinyl chloride (PVC), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), and glycerol diacetate monolaurate, a bio-based plasticizer derived from waste cooking oil, addressing the underexplored combined effects of these components. By varying the proportions, the blends’ tensile strength, elasticity, elongation at break, and hardness were tailored for diverse applications. Incorporating the bio-plasticizer significantly enhanced the PVC’s flexibility and elongation at break, while reducing its tensile strength and rigidity. The addition of TPU further enhanced the elasticity, toughness, and resilience, with the final properties governed by synergistic interactions between PVC’s rigidity, TPU’s elasticity, and the plasticizer’s softening effects. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) confirmed that the bio-plasticizer enhanced the compatibility between the PVC and TPU, leading to ternary PVC/TPU/bio-plasticizer blends with an improved elasticity and elongation at break, without a significant loss in tensile strength. These blends exhibited a broad range of tunable properties, enabling applications from flexible films to impact-resistant components. Overall, these findings highlight the potential of PVC/TPU/bio-plasticizer systems to deliver high-performance materials with enhanced sustainability. This work offers valuable insights for developing greener polymer systems and advancing the creation of tailored materials for diverse industrial applications in alignment with global sustainability goals.

Keywords: polyvinyl chloride (PVC); thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU); bio-based plasticizer; polymer blends; dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA); mechanical properties (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/5/2033/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/5/2033/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:5:p:2033-:d:1600672

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().