Preparation of a Novel Heat Stabilizer for Poly(vinyl chloride)-Zn, Mg, Al-Layered Double Hydroxide

A new zinc-magnesium-aluminum-layered double hydroxide (ZnMgAl-LDH) was prepared by one-step coprecipitation using agents extracted from waste residue and intercalated with stearate anions. The X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectra show that the stearate anions have successfully intercalated into the interlayer of ZnMgAl-LDH. The scanning electron microscopy shows the typical sand-rose morphology of LDH. The enhanced thermal stability was confirmed by Congo red test. The poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)/ZnMgAl-LDH-stearate nanocomposites have much more thermal stability time than PVC and PVC/ZnMgAl-LDH composites. Thermal stability time of PVC containing 8 wt% ZnMgAl-LDH-stearate loading is 12 times of that of pure PVC. The tensile strength of the nanocomposites increases with the increase of ZnMgAl-stearate content and exhibits excellent mechanical properties. POLYM. COMPOS., 31:928-932, 2010. (C) 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers