Additives for the Polymer Industry
Polymers are present in many different sectors of our lives. Many of you are familiar with the unpleasant sight of a yellowed plastic bucket, a brittle rubber seal, or a traffic sign losing its paint. These processes of decay result from exposure to water, atmospheric oxygen, or sunlight, which trigger autocatalytic reactions. Plastics, rubbers, paints, dyes, and many other products that we use in our daily lives should be protected from chemical decay processes.
Hydrolysis is one of these chemical reactions, where bonds are broken due to the influence of water. Our hydrolysis stabilizers significantly delay this process.
When material reacts with atmospheric oxygen, oxidation occurs, such as plastics reacting with oxygen resulting in paint loss and brittleness. To prevent early aging, antioxidants can be added while the plastic item is being produced. These antioxidants are added in minimal amounts of only 0.05-1.00 percent of the overall weight, but can increase the lifespan of the product by manifold.
Another process is photolysis (also known as photodissociation), where chemical bonds break due to exposure to sunlight. UV radiation can lead to quick fading of colour in dyes for example. Our UV stabilizers can greatly delay these reactions, by absorbing the UV radiation.