ABSTRACT
Flexibilizing of polymers can be achieved through internal and external plasticization. Internal plasticization can be produced through copolymerization giving a more exible polymer backbone or by grafting another polymer onto a given polymer backbone. Thus, poly(vinyl chloride-co-vinyl acetate) is internally plasticized because of the increased exibility brought about by the change in
structure of the polymer chain. The presence of bulky groups on the polymer chain increases segmental motion and placement of such groups through grafting acts as an internal plasticizer. Internal plasticization achieves its end goal at least in part through discouraging association between polymer chains. However, grafted linear groups with more than 10 carbon atoms can reduce exibility because of side-chain crystallization when the groups are regularly spaced.
