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.

Polymer blending enhances material properties by combining different polymers, which requires careful consideration of both thermodynamic and technological compatibility. This study investigates the compatibility of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), and a bio-plasticizer in blends produced via roll milling at various mixing ratios. Compatibility and morphology were analyzed using thermally stimulated discharge (TSD), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), while mechanical and thermal properties were assessed by mechanical testing and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The PVC/TPU (100/30) blend exhibited superior phase compatibility over PVC/TPU (100/50), as indicated by a single relaxation peak in TSD and DMA, along with a more homogeneous morphology and enhanced tensile properties. The PVC/TPU/bio-plasticizer (100/20/50) blend showed a well-balanced mechanical performance and improved phase homogeneity. The TSD peak maxima trends for the TPU/bio-plasticizer blend highlighted the bio-plasticizer’s dual role in enhancing flexibility at low concentrations while restricting molecular mobility at higher concentrations. TGA revealed TPU’s positive effect on PVC’s degradation profile, while the bio-plasticizer reduced thermal stability. These findings demonstrate that blending PVC, TPU, and bio-plasticizer creates compatible materials with enhanced and diverse properties, making them suitable for industrial applications.

This study aims to evaluate the effects of repeated mechanical recycling on the properties of a novel aliphatic polyketone composite reinforced with 15 wt% and 30 wt% glass fibers (PK15GF and PK30GF), providing insights into its potential for sustainable engineering applications. The investigation focuses on three main aspects: changes in melt flow index (MFI) and viscosity, the influence of glass fiber content on thermal and mechanical stability, and the retention of structural integrity and crystallinity under multiple processing cycles. Composites, commercially available since 2019, were subjected to single- and five-cycle recycling with 100% reprocessed content. Comprehensive characterization—including tensile testing, Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Melt-Flow Index (MFI), Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA), and mechanical tensile testing—revealed filler-dependent alterations in morphology, thermal stability, and crystallinity. MFI decreased from 100.56 to 42.63 g/10 min for PK15GF, indicating pronounced chain scission, recombination, and crosslinking, whereas PK30GF decreased only from 89.00 to 59.76 g/10 min. FT-IR spectra confirmed greater crosslinking in PK15GF, while DSC and DMA demonstrated smaller T_g and ΔHm variations in PK30GF (T_g +0.45 °C, ΔHm −13.93 J·g⁻¹) versus PK15GF (T_g +1.13 °C, ΔHm −69.24 J·g⁻¹). These findings reveal that higher glass fiber content mitigates degradation, preserves structural integrity, and maintains thermal and viscoelastic stability, establishing clear correlations between filler content, mechanical performance, and recyclability. Overall, this work provides mechanistic insights into degradation pathways and demonstrates the potential of glass fiber-reinforced aliphatic polyketones for sustainable, high-performance engineering and automotive applications.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is widely used in engineering applications; however, its inherent thermal instability associated with dehydrochlorination limits its processing window and long-term performance. While blending with thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and plasticization are common strategies to improve flexibility, their combined influence on the thermal behavior and stability of PVC, particularly when bio-based plasticizers are employed, has not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, the thermal behavior and stability of PVC/TPU blends plasticized with glycerol diacetate monolaurate, a bio-based plasticizer derived from waste cooking oil, were investigated. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to examine segmental mobility and intermolecular interactions, while scanning electron microscopy (SEM) provided insight into microstructural organization. Thermal stability was evaluated through conductivity-based dehydrochlorination measurements, complemented by thermogravimetric and derivative thermogravimetric analyses (TGA/DTG) to assess degradation behavior. The results showed that neither TPU nor the bio-plasticizer alone improved the resistance of PVC to dehydrochlorination. In contrast, ternary PVC/TPU/bio-plasticizer blends exhibited a pronounced delay in HCl evolution, accompanied by a more homogeneous phase distribution and interaction-driven modification of the molecular environment. TGA/DTG analysis indicated that this stabilization arises from altered degradation kinetics rather than a simple shift in degradation onset. Overall, the findings clarify the thermal behavior of PVC-based blends and demonstrate a sustainable formulation approach for achieving flexible and thermally balanced PVC materials while reducing reliance on potentially toxic phthalate plasticizers.