The performance of polymer materials often deteriorates during processing, use and storage. For example, the plastic turns yellow, becomes brittle, and cracks. Rubber becomes sticky, hard, cracks, and has reduced insulation properties… All these phenomena are called “deterioration of polymer materials”, or “aging”. For polymer materials, it is very important to prevent or delay aging and maintain the original excellent properties to stabilize the quality of the product. This is called “stabilization of polymer materials 2. In order to stabilize polymer materials, commonly used antioxidants improve For the stability of high molecular materials, we must understand the causes of aging.
There are many reasons for aging, but they are nothing more than internal factors and external factors. The internal factors come from polymer materials itself, such as certain“weaknesses” in the polymer molecular structure and other components. External factors such as sunlight exposure in the atmospheric environment, The effects of oxygen, ozone and water, the effects of climate change, the erosion of microorganisms, the effects of heat during processing, mechanical stress during use, etc., among which the effects of oxygen, light and heat are the most significant.
Polymer compounds often undergo cleavage and cross-linking reactions when they are matured, illuminated and oxidized, thereby destroying the original structure of the polymer and causing aging. Therefore,, it is necessary to find ways to prevent the polymer material from aging under the above circumstances. Degradation and cross-linking reactions can occur. For this reason, adding appropriate high-temperature antioxidants to polymer materials can inhibit or delay the aging process and greatly increase the service life of polymer materials. The additives mainly used to prevent oxidative aging of polymer materials are called “antioxidants”; the additives mainly used to prevent thermal aging are called “thermal stabilizers”, and the additives mainly used to prevent photoaging are called “light stabilizers”. We collectively call the agent gas “stabilizing agent” or “anti-aging agent”.
