Abstract
Melt extrusion of polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) is desirable over commonly practiced solution film casting due to reduced energy input, environmental footprint, and processing cost, however, melt extrusion processing of plasticized polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) presents a significant processing challenge due to inherent adhension issues of extruded PVOH film to the surface of equipment. This paper reports a method using inorganic fillers such as CaCO3 and talc to facilitate the plasticized PVOH processing for blown films.
Parameters are also identified for additional process studies to optimize the mechanical properties of blown films. It was found that the preferred inorganic filler is CaCO3 for the PVOH stickiness reduction. The filled PVOH films were found to have delayed or reduced water solubility. It takes about 7 to 10 minutes for the filled PVOH films to dissolve in water whereas the neat PVOH films are soluble in water instantly. The delayed water solubility may be desirable for certain specialty applications such as packaging of pesticides during shipping and storage. With improved processability by incorporating filler, the melt extrusion produced PVOH film should cost less than the solution-cast PVOH films.
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