Additives are needed to stabilize polypropylene during melt processing and protect plastics against thermo-oxidative degradation during service life

Polymer degradation is a natural phenomenon that cannot be totally stopped. It tends to deteriorate the physical & mechanical like molecular weight, melt flow rate, appearance, processing and thermal stability properties of the polymer. To reduce such damages that occur during melt processing or under conditions of use, antioxidant stabilizers are developed.

antioxidants polymer additives are essential because they help prevent a process called oxidation. They are able to stabilize the plastic products’ qualities and slow degradation processes.

Antioxidants are widely used in plastics, rubber, fiber, coatings, and adhesives industry. Basically, antioxidants are used in every polymers processing.

Antioxidants help in extending the life cycle of plastic, increase color deterioration, offer tensile strength and elongation, reduced impact resistance, cracking, and other surface deterioration.

As the temperatures that the finished part must withstand rise, so must the level of antioxidants in the polymers to prevent long-term degradation and maintain the polymer physical properties.

The plastic products that most commonly contain antioxidant additives include: A variety of pipes and fittings used in the building & construction industry Polyethylene films (PE films) used a variety of applications, from construction to food packaging Products and films made from polypropylene (PP)

The plastic antioxidants market is expected to grow significantly during the next few decades, owing to unavailability of a perfect and economically viable substitute for plastic introduced in the market.

Primary antioxidants and thioesters are added to the polymer to provide end-use product stability while phosphites or phosphonites are added to provide color and processing stability during pelletization and extrusion/molding.

Plastics tend to change over time due to exposure to heat, radiation, or a corrosive environment. The changes occur as a result of oxidative degradation and can severely affect the properties and service life of the polymers.

Primary antioxidants and secondary antioxidants are the two major categories of plastic antioxidants, and plastic made from primary type is often combined with secondary to produce thermally stable plastic products.

Stabilizing additives are extremely important in the plastics industry, as they offer resistance to various degradation processes and chemical reactions that can harm the polymers. We’ve discussed antioxidants in this article, but we manufacture many other types of additives that are classified as stabilizers.