Structure and properties of comb-like non-silicone release agent: Effect of alcoholysis degree and polymerization degree of precursor polymers

Non-silicone release agents with surface-protecting functions are highly desirable in various industrial applications such as electronics and packaging. In this study, a series of comb-like polyvinyl n-octadecyl carbamate (PVODC) with different structures were synthesized using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) grafted with octadecyl isocyanate (ODI). The effects of the alcoholysis degree (DA), polymerization degree (DP), and substitution degrees (DS) of alkyl side chains of PVA precursor on the structure-property correlation of PVODCs were explored by using various techniques. Results indicated that at a low DS of ∼40 mol%, decreasing the DA of PVA led to lower melting points and thermal stability but enhanced the release performance of PVODCs. However, the crystal form and chain stacking behavior of PVODCs appear unaffected by the DA. The effect of DA was less significant at a high DS of ∼68 mol%. Within the DP range studied, the DP of PVA had little effect on the structure and properties of PVODCs. Only when the DP of PVA surpassed 1700, the thermal stability was enhanced due to stronger molecular interactions, but at a cost of deteriorated solubility and film-forming performance.