Color Stabilization of Low Toxic Antimicrobial Polypropylene/Poly(hexamethylene guanidine) Phosphate Blends by Taguchi Technique

The color stabilization of antimicrobial blends was studied by using poly(hexamethylene guanidine) phosphate (PHMG) as a highly efficient biocidal and nontoxic agent. The Taguchi method was used to determine the optimum conditions for the blending of PHMG in polypropylene (PP) matrix. To improve the yellowing phenomena, two kinds of stabilizer were used together: tetrakis[methylene(3,5-di-t-butyl-4-hydroxyhydrocinnamate)](IN1010) from phenol and tris(2,4-di-t-butylphenylphosphite) (IF168) from phosphorus. According to blend composition and mixing condition, six factors were chosen, with five levels being set for each factor. The orthogonal array was selected as the most suitable for fabricating the experimental design, L25, with 6 columns and 25 variations. The-smaller-the-better was used as an optimization criterion. The optimum conditions for these parameters were 10 phr for PHMG, 2 phr for IN1010, 1 phr for IF168, 10 min for mixing time, $210^{\circ}C$ for mixing temperature, and 30 rpm for rotation speed. Under these conditions, the yellowness index of the blend was 1.52. The processibility of the blends was investigated by Advanced Rheometric Expansion System (ARES). The blend with 0.5 w% PHMG content, diluted with PP, exhibited an antimicrobial characteristic in the shake flask method.