(7) Additives Solutions for Preventing Polymer Degradation

Abstract

Polymer materials are vital for our daily life. Compared to materials like glass and metal, polymer materials are unique due to its processability and its lightweighting ability. Therefore, it is used for various application（e.g. automotive, B&C, medical, E&E） to facilitate our convenient and modern lifestyle. On top of that, recently it is drawing further attention due to its potential to contribute to sustainability, by reducing GHG emission of transport via light weighted material. One of the typical drawbacks of polymer materials are discoloration and deterioration of mechanical properties triggered by degradation of polymer chain under high temperature and/or exposure to sunlight. Therefore, to use this material for long period, it is important to stabilize the material by adding additives. In order to select a suitable additive, having deeper understanding to the additives and degradation phenomenon of the polymer will be required. In this paper, thermal and photo degradation phenomenon of the polymer will be explained. Followed by introduction of additives and its behavior during degradation phenomenon. In addition, synergistic and antagonism effect of additives will be explained as a technique for suitable additives selection.