Investigation of curing time and temperature effects on mechanical properties and thermal degradation of artificial leather made of PVC

Polyvinyl chloride owns a special place in various industries as the third most used polymer worldwide. Due to the widespread usage of synthetic leather, one of the research gaps in this field is the study and optimization of curing conditions. The present research aims to investigate the effects of temperature and time of curing on the mechanical properties of synthetic leather to establish the optimal temperature and time of curing. To this end, synthetic leather films were prepared using the knife coating technique (KCT). Then specimens were placed at different temperatures and times to perform the curing process. Thermal degradation was determined by checking the color of the samples. Also, to investigate the effect of curing conditions on the mechanical behavior of synthetic leather, dumbbell-shaped samples were prepared and subjected to uniaxial tensile tests. The results showed that due to the high molecular motions of the particles at 190°C, the plasticizer penetrates well into the chains of emulsion PVC and thus increases its mechanical properties. Additionally, the mechanical properties of the synthetic leather were enhanced by increasing the cure time at constant temperatures. Afterward, thermal degradation occurred due to the long-term curing process, reducing mechanical properties. According to the obtained results, the curing conditions can significantly affect the mechanical properties of synthetic leather. Likewise, identifying the optimal temperature and time of curing in the artificial leather industry allows the development of products with high mechanical properties without special fillers.