Dibutyl sebacate as PVC ecoplasticizer - Economic synthesis and functional properties

One-third of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) applications require plasticization to improve flexibility, softness, and processability. Phthalate esters have been widely used but are now restricted due to their toxicity. Di-n-butyl sebacate (DBS), a safe, biodegradable, and cost-effective aliphatic ester, offers superior operational properties and industrial scalability compared to phthalates. We demonstrate a scalable DBS synthesis achieving approximately 100% yield under optimized conditions (90°C, 15 mol% triethylamine-sulfuric(VI) acid catalyst, 4: 1 BuOH to sebacic acid ratio, 2 h). Kilogram-scale DBS-plasticized PVC was produced and evaluated for key properties. The DBS-plasticized PVC showed enhanced performance, including minimal plasticizer migration (12.78% after 28 days, per EN ISO 177:2017), high extension (350%), breaking stress of 15.7 MPa, and a Shore A hardness of 80.2. These results outperform conventional phthalates, such as di-2-ethylhexyl terephthalate and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate. The findings confirm that DBS synthesis is fully scalable and its use results in PVC materials with superior mechanical and leakage properties. This study supports the industrial adoption of DBS as an eco-friendly and effective alternative to replace toxic phthalates in PVC plasticization, promoting safer and more sustainable materials for widespread applications.