Encapsulation of β-cyclodextrin by in situ polymerization with vinyl chloride leading to suppressing the migration of endocrine disrupting phthalate plasticizer

We performed the encapsulation of beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) in PVC by in situ polymerization with vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), and investigated the effect of CD encapsulation on the suppression of dioctyl phthalate (DOP) migration suspected as endocrine disruptor. beta-CD was partially modified with 3-(methacryloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane and modified beta-CD (MCD) was then encapsulated in PVC through suspension polymerization via radical reaction between double bonds MCD and VCM. Resulting MCD-encapsulated PVC (MCDx-PVC) exhibited the similar morphology and characteristics to commercial PVC. For MCDx-PVCs plasticized with DOP, they showed the considerably suppressed DOP migration as well as the similar optical and mechanical properties to conventionally plasticized PVC. In particular, the plasticized MCDx-PVCs exhibited the superior suppression of DOP migration compared to the plasticized PVC where MCD and DOP were introduced by conventional melt mixing. Therefore, the encapsulation of MCD in PVC is thought to be an effective approach to producing the ecological PVC material. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.