| Summary: | Structural and thermal stabilizations of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and wood/PVC (WPVC) composites were studied using lead stearate (PbSt2), calcium/zinc complex (Ca/Zn) stabilizers, and methyl tin mercaptide (MT). Thermal and structural stabilities of PVC and WPVC composites were assessed using FTIR spectrometer, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and UV-Vis spectrophotometry. The results indicated that the additions of thermal stabilizers into PVC and WPVC composites could promote the thermal stabilities under both un-aged and thermally aged conditions. The presence of wood particles resulted in increases in polyene and carbonyl sequences during processing and decreases in the decomposition temperature (Td). The presence of wood was found to accelerate the thermal degradation in PVC, and suppressed the efficiencies of the thermal stabilizers used. By increasing the stabilizer dosage, the thermal degradations of PVC and WPVC were moderated. Under thermally aged condition at 177oC, the additions of thermal stabilizer could decrease the increase in yellowness index (YI) and discoloration at different ageing times. In this work, MT was found to be the most suitable and promising stabilizer for PVC and WPVC composites, considering the polyene and carbonyl contents, Td, the shift of derivative thermogravimetric (DTG) curves, and changes in YI value and visual color.
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