Association of PVC Pipe and Fitting Producers

lower the surface energy of recycled post-consumer PVC to create a surface 
material more comparable to that of virgin PVC. Polymer recycling produces 
materials whose properties are generally considered inferior to those of virgin material. Recycling therefore causes changes in the material’s mechanical and rheological 
properties. In research from Brazil, recycled post-consumer PVC was treated with SF6 plasma to render its properties, especially electrical resistivity, similar to those of 
virgin resin. Another objective of this work was improving other surface properties, such as wettability, aiming for the best dielectric properties in virgin and recycled 
PVC. Time and power parameters were tested and the best condition (2 min, 80W, 120º) was repeated to verify surface resistivity, roughness, abrasion, and chemical 
composition. The aging effect (160 days) on wettability was evaluated and samples remained hydrophobic. Fluorine atoms (45%) were incorporated on the surface of 
treated samples, altering their chemical composition (40%C, 13%Cl and 45%F) and precluding their classification as PVC or PTFE. The researchers believe that fluorine 
was probably the main factor responsible for the greater hydrophobicity in PVC.

Source: advancedsciencenews