Date & Time: Mar 6 2026 | 12 - 1pm Location: iSTEM Building 2, Room 1218 Poly(Vinyl Chloride) is the third most synthesized and utilized commodity plastic. While its unplasticized form is used extensively in construction materials because of its toughness and rigidity, it is also desirable for biomedical and packaging applications due to its sterility and chemical resistance, requiring plasticization which accounts for 80% of the world's plasticizer usage. The most common plasticizer for PVC, Di-2-EthylHexyl Phthalate or Di-Octyl Phthalate (DEHP or DOP) is a known endocrine disruptor, migrates into the environment with time, and is petroleum based. There is therefore a need for bio-based, non-toxic, and sustainably made plasticizers for PVC. This seminar will present three publications presenting novel bio-based plasticizers, and their mechanical and thermal properties to compare performance to the traditional DEHP/DOP plasticizer in PVC. Type of Event: Materials Chemistry and Nanoscience Seminar Research Areas: Materials Chemistry and Nanoscience Madeline Green Department: Graduate Student, Department of Chemistry University of Georgia Learn more about the speaker: https://chem.uga.edu/directory/people/madeline-green
