The water based plasticizer has been used for many applications in the field of coatings. It improves gloss, open time and rheological properties. In addition, it significantly lowers the glass transition temperature of polymers. This makes the material softer and more flexible. It is also a highly effective anti-blocking agent and helps to reduce tackiness. It is especially useful in PVC tubing, textile coatings and silk-screen printing. It is also a very versatile and environmentally friendly additive. The patented product is a mixture of fatty acids and alcohols that are naturally occurring, biodegradable and have a low VOC content. It is also free from phthalates, which are restricted due to the endocrine disrupting effect of these substances.

The physico-chemical characteristics of the innovative monobenzoate ester are comparable or better than those of traditional plasticizers and coalescents in terms of viscosity stability, rheology and film formation, scrub and rub resistance, block resistance, color density, dry to touch, and open time. It also provides good water and alkali resistance, superior tensile strength and modulus of elasticity, and excellent softening and elongation at break properties.

In order to evaluate the effects of different plasticizers on the physico-chemical and mechanical properties of starch/PVOH/chitosan blends, films were cast with glycerol (GLY), sorbitol (SOR) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) in concentrations of 0%, 15%, 30% and 45% (w/w). Results showed that adding the plasticizers improved both the elongation at break and water vapor permeability of the composite film. The degradation of the blend was observed by derivative thermogravimetric analysis (DTG), and two thermal events were identified: a mass loss below 125 degC, which was the elimination of moisture through evaporation; and a further increase in temperature, which was the degradation of the starch/PVOH/chitosan matrix.