Document XOEb26LR6QqEx9MLe5wzxOL7y

f-i /-.'l 'T-^r-- Monsanto Chemicals __ KA__ AROCLOR 1254 fiPR CO-PLASTICIZER WITH DOP FOR VINYL ORGANOSOLS AND PASTES 1 1971 Monsanto Technical Bulletin No. P-I34 Monsanto Chemical Co., St. Louis, Mo. . November 1, 1948 Aroclor 1254* (chlorinated biphenyl) is used commercially as a co-plasticizer with DOP (dioctyl phthalate) in vinyl organosols and pastes because Aroclor offers the following advantages: 1. Attractive reduction in costs. 2. Aroclor is a superior pigment grinding and pigment dispersing medium. 3. Incorporation of Aroclor 1254 markedly reduces the flammability of the finished plastic. 4. Aroclor offers outstanding electrical properties. 5- Aroclor offers toughness and strength and in other respects the over-all qualities of the plastic such as "hand", flexibility and gloss are maintained. 6. Aroclor 1254 resists attack by biological in fluences . HONS 074286 X. INTRODUCTION Polyvinylchloride organosols are dlsperlsons of the plastics resin in plasticizer and solvent-diluent mixtures. Organo sols are high In solids content and therefore overcome expen sive solvent loss and multiple coating operations associated vith the older solution type of coating methods. A further step leading to almost complete elimination of sol vents Is the use of plastlsols or pastes which are dispersions of the vinyl resin In the plasticizers. Such pastes are par ticularly advantageous for coating paper and other materials where the use of inflammable solvents is prohibitive and a single pass coating operation Is desired. Organosols are used to make free films for shower curtains, rainwear and to coat fabrics used for upholstery, etc. Plastisols are especially useful for coating paper In making draperies, table cloths,etc. This bulletin Indicates the advantages of using Aroclor 1254 as a co-plastlclzer with dloctyl phthalate In vinylchloride organosols or pastes. It has been found feasible to replace as much as 50 percent of DOP with Aroclor 1254. Since Aroclor Is substantially less expensive than DOP or the vinyl resin, this practice offers attractive economies. It also offers substantial Improvement In the flame resistance and electri cal qualities of the plastic without altering its other de sirable physical qualities. Moreover, Aroclor 1254 Is out standing as a medium for grinding and dispersing the pigments used in the coating. II. PREPARATION a. Grinding the Pigments: For aesthetic reasons pigmented organosols are often required and the pigments are ground on a three-roll mill. We strongly recommend Aroclor 1254 as an unusually good grinding and dis persing medium for this purpose and believe it to be Tar superior In this respect to other plasticizers commonly used In organosols. The finished pigment grind is added to the main organosol formu lation where allowance should be made for the Aroclor 1254 plasticizer added as a component of the pigment grind. HONS 2. b. Grinding the Organosol: A conventional type ball mill is used to grind the organosol. Unless the mill is vater cooled, it is necessary to use flint pebbles instead of steel balls to grind the dispersion because the steel balls tend 'to build up heat, resulting in undesirable thickening of the organosol. It is the concensus that the temperature during the grinding should not exceed 110*7. Although variations may be used in the order of adding the organosol ingredients to the mill, a suggested order is to add first the solvent-diluent mixture. Xylene is frequently used as the solvent and Apco or similar thinner as the diluents. Next the Aroclor 1254-DOF plasticizer combination is added myi finally the vinyl resin. The organosol is ground until a uniform paste is formed, nien the Aroclor 1254-pigment grind is added and the ball milling is continued until the final suspension is uniform. Vhlle the time of grinding vlll vary, usually 18 to 24 hours is sufficient. III. FORMULATIONS Organosols usually require special adjustments in formulating to accomodate the vorking characteristics of the specific use applications. Accordingly, the follovlng formulation is given only to lndloate a starting point in making an organosol for free film or coating vork. It is a vhite pigmented product based on the use of 60 percent solids and 40 percent solventdiluent mixture. Ingredients Organosol Film Solids Polyvinylchloride (VYNV-1) Aroclor 1254 Dioctyl phthalate Victor Stabilizer 53 or 85 Pigments* Xylene Apco Thinner 33 % 67..42 0.6 10.8 25.0 15.0 55 % 12 14 1 18 - " 100 % 100 % Titanium dioxide, basic lead sulfate and basic lead carbonate. HONS C7420S 3. Referring to the working qualities of the organosol, Aroclor 1254 acts very similarly as POP. Both materials are not strong solvents for the vinyl at room temperature but be come active solvents at the elevated temperature used to fuse the organosol. . Aroclor 1254 is more viscous than DOP and may not be quite as strong in plasticizer action. Therefore, in using com binations of Aroclor 1254 and POP, it may be desirable to adjust the xylene-Apco thinner ratio to use slightly larger amounts of xylene than is the case when DOF plasticizer is used alone. Where stronger solvent action is required rela tively small amounts of dllsobutyl ketone or methylisobutyl ketone may be used with the thinner. In some applications it may be possible to use the Aroclor 1254-DOP plasticizer combination In larger amount than Is the case when DOF is used alone as the plasticizer. This practice offers additional economies because the Aroclor is substantially less expensive than POP or the vinyl resin. This practice also reduces the amount of solvent and thinner and frequently the solvent-thinner ratio to total solids is about 30 to 70. IV. APPLICATION a. Coating: The organosol film is substantially discontinuous and can be applied very heavily using the same equipment commonly used for any other.spread coating. In coating work, the first coat should be tight (2 to 3 dry ounces) to get good adhesion, but subsequently as much as 8 to 12 dry ounces per running yard may be applied in a single pass. b. Prying: The coating Is dried at 180*7. to 250F., using regular drying equipment. c. Fusing: Fusion will not take place belov 350*P. and the most common fusing methods are to apply temperatures of 350*F. to 400*F. from three to five minutes, or 400F. to 500F. for one minute or less. The only time required at the fusing temperature is that necessary to bring the film to the fusing point; in many oases one minute or less is sufficient. To prevent discoloration of the film and weakening of the fabric, heat in excess of that required for fusing should be avoided. Hovever, the highest practical fusing temperature should be used. 4. HONS 074289 Hot air is the most common source of heat but Infra-red is also used and direct contact with hot surfaces is effective. Familiar types of installations are gas-fired ovens, super heated steam, electric coils, strip heaters, infra-red lights and heated cylinders.' Although Aroclor 1254 is noncombustible at the fusion tem peratures, vapors from other plasticizers and especially residual solvent are Inflammable and accordingly the fusing chamber equipment should not provide a source of ignition. In light of the elevated temperatures used during fusion, it is pointed out that vapors vhlch may be emitted when Aroolor 1254 is heated to high temperatures bear a degree of toxicity and should not be breathed. It is presumed that the organosol fusion is carried out in a closed system pro vided with suction fans to remove vapors, which precludes workers from coming in contact with them. The vapor pressure of Aroclor 1254 is relatively low and the values are given at 100*, 350, 400, and 450'F. as 0.00006, 4, 10 and 30 mm. Hg., respectively. V. DECORATION a. Embossing: Either a flat plate or a roll press may be used for embossing before or after fusion. Care should be taken to avoid cutting through the coating if the embossing is done before fusion since the film is weak at this stage. The time of the embossing operation is usually 2 to 5 seconds at 160F. to 200F. b. Stencilling: Silk screen stencilling or printing must be done before fusing, and the drying time of the printing ink must be slow enough to avoid drying out on the screen, yet fast enough to permit re printing with other colors in a reasonable time. VI. PROPERTIES OF THE FREE FILM OR COATINGS a. Dermatology: A free film made up of polyvinylchloride containing about 12 per cent by weight of Aroclor 1254 (about 25 parts of Aroclor 1254 based on 100 parts of vinyl resin used) and a similar amount of dloctyl phthalate along with standard white pigments such as titanium dioxide was found free from irritating or sensitizing MONS 074290 5- the skin In accordance vlth standard skin patch tests. Moreover, similar studies made vlth Aroclor 1254 alone Indicate that this plasticizer is neither a skin Irritant nor sensitizer. While this Indicates safety. In using Aroclor 1254, ve are not de veloping use of this plasticizer for Items such as baby pants siade from plastics aiaterlals. b. Vaporization Rate of the Plasticizer: The vaporization rates of Aroclors 1248, 1254 and 1260 coBipare biost favorably vlth the similar values for OOP and other vinyl plasticizers selected for comparison because of their knovn lov vaporization rates. This is indicated In the following table: Plasticizer Surface Area car_______ Vaporization Rat# gms/cmyhr ,/lOQ* C. Aroclor 1248 Clorafln 42-8 Flexol-DOP, dioctyl phthalate Dutrex 25 Aroclor 1254 Dutrex 20 Aroolor 1260 12.28 12.28 12.28 12.28 12.28 12.28 12,28 0.000152 0.000126 0.000117 0.000087 0.000053 0.000016 0.000009 c. General Film or Coating Qualities: From reliable sources In the trade using Aroclors with dioctyl pbthalate to plastlolze organosols. It is Indicated that the light stability and heat stability of the free films and fabric or paper coatings coaipare aiost favorably vlth the similar values vhere DOP Is used as the only plasticizer. Usually Victor stabilizer 53 or 85 is used to Improve light stability of the vinyl plastic. Basic lead carbonate, sulfate and silicate are commonly used as the heat stabilizers. Such properties as "hand", toughness, abrasion resistance, flexibility and gloss of the fllais and coatings derived from the Aroclor 1254-SOP plasticized organosols seem to compare most favorably vlth the similar qualities of the vinyl plastic containing DOF alone. Hie use of Aroclor results In a substantial Improvement in fire resistant qualities of the plastic. A vinyl composition plasticized vlth 50 parts of SOP shoved a flame-out time of 6. MGNS 074291 75 seconds, whereas a similar plastic using a 50-50 mixture of Aroclor-DOP at 80 parts plasticizer shoved a flame-out time of only 2 to 3 seconds. Aroelors are noted for their excellent electrical qualities. Vinyls plasticized with Aroclor-DOP combinations have very good electrical qualities and are somewhat better in this respect than similar plastics prepared with DOP alone. Another point worthy of mention is that Aroelors are not susceptible to attack by fungi and have a pronounced repelling action against soil mites including termites. These factors are important vhere the finished plastic Item must resist attack by microorganisms. VII. SAVINGS ACCOMPLISHED BY USING AROCLQR 1254 IN COMBINATION WITH DOP The following specific gravity values and selling prices (car lot quantity; of the various materials were used in mniri ng the cost calculations: Material Sp. G. Selling Price/Lb PVC (VYNV) Aroclor 1254 DOP 1.35 1.54 0.980 $ .34 .18 .43 Comparative costs are given in terms of a cubic foot of the plastic material including only the vinyl resin and plasticizers. Hie saving possible by using various amounts of Aroclor 1254 in combination with DOP as compared with the use of 50 parts DOP per 100 parts resin are given: Plastic CompositionCost/Cu. Ft.Savlng/Cu. Ft, 1) 50 parts DOP - 100 parts resin $ 27.68 -- 2) 50 parts (50-50 Aroclor 1254-DOP)-100 parts resin 26.53 $ 1.15 3) 70 parts (50-50 Aroclor 1254-D0P)-100 parts resin 26.07 1.61 4) 70 parts (60-40 Aroclor 1254-DOP)-100 parts resin 25.74 1.94 7. HONS 074192 VIII. ADVANTAGES OF USING AROCLOR 1254 IN COMBINATION WITH DOP 1. Depending on the plasticizer ratios used as indicated above, it is possible to save from $1 to $2 per cubic foot of plastic. 2. Arodor 1254 offers superior pigment grinding and pig ment dispersing qualities in preparing the organosol. 3. The use of Aroclor 1254 in these plastics markedly re duces their susceptibility to burning. 4. Aroclor offers outstanding electrical properties and resistance to organism attack. ' 5. Aroclor offers toughness and tensile strength and in other respects the over-all qualities of the plastic such as "hand", flexibility and gloss are maintained. ****** The information contained in this bulletin is to our best know ledge true and accurate, but all recommendations or suggestions are made vlthout guarantee, since the conditions of use are be yond our control. Monsanto Chemical Company disclaims any liabili ty incurred in connection with the use of these data or suggestions. Furthermore, nothing contained herein shall be construed as a recommendation to use any product in conflict vlth existing patents covering any material or its use. MONSANTO CHEMICAL COMPANY St. Louis 4, Missouri Rev York-Chlcago-Bos ton-Blrmlngham-Charlo tte-CineInnatl-Detro11 Cleveland-Phlladelphla-Los Angeles-San Francisco-Montreal 8. HONS 074293