Polymer stability chemical degradation

PP Klemchuk (ed.), Polymer Stabilization and Degradation. ACS Symposium Series 280. Washington, D.C. American Chemical Society, 1985. 

In Polymer Stabilization and Degradation Klemchuk, P. ACS Symposium Series American Chemical Society Washington, DC, 1985. ... 

Hjertberg T, Sorvik EM (1985) In Klemchuk PP (ed) Polymer stabilization and degradation. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, p 259... 

Heat stabilizers protect polymers from the chemical degrading effects of heat or uv irradiation. These additives include a wide variety of chemical substances, ranging from purely organic chemicals to metallic soaps to complex organometaUic compounds. By far the most common polymer requiring the use of heat stabilizers is poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). However, copolymers of PVC, chlorinated poly(vinyl chloride) (CPVC), poly(vinyhdene chloride) (PVDC), and chlorinated polyethylene (CPE), also benefit from this technology. Without the use of heat stabilizers, PVC could not be the widely used polymer that it is, with worldwide production of nearly 16 million metric tons in 1991 alone (see Vinyl polymers). 

Other polymers used in the PSA industry include synthetic polyisoprenes and polybutadienes, styrene-butadiene rubbers, butadiene-acrylonitrile rubbers, polychloroprenes, and some polyisobutylenes. With the exception of pure polyisobutylenes, these polymer backbones retain some unsaturation, which makes them susceptible to oxidation and UV degradation. The rubbers require compounding with tackifiers and, if desired, plasticizers or oils to make them tacky. To improve performance and to make them more processible, diene-based polymers are typically compounded with additional stabilizers, chemical crosslinkers, and solvents for coating. Emulsion polymerized styrene butadiene rubbers (SBRs) are a common basis for PSA formulation [121]. The tackified SBR PSAs show improved cohesive strength as the Mooney viscosity and percent bound styrene in the rubber increases. The peel performance typically is best with 24—40% bound styrene in the rubber. To increase adhesion to polar surfaces, carboxylated SBRs have been used for PSA formulation. Blends of SBR and natural rubber are commonly used to improve long-term stability of the adhesives. 

Chemical and thermal stabilizers both inactivate the byproducts of degradation processes, preventing them from causing further damage to the polymer. Their chemical structure and mobility in the part define their effectiveness in any given polymeric system. The most common type of chemical stabilizers are antioxidants. 

How do free radicals interact with a polymer to cause degradation Why are many heat stabilizers chemicals that react to quench the free radicals ... 

Plastics have to be stabilized to withstand chemical and physical stresses during different phases of their lifetime. Stabilizers protecting plastics against particular degradation processes were developed and commercialized by various companies. According to their principal activity mechanisms, polymer stabilizers are conventionally classified as antioxidants, photoantioxidants, photostabilizers, heat stabilizers and... 

PospfSil J and NeSpurek S (in press) Highlights in the inherent chemical activity of polymer stabilizers, In Handbook of polymer degradation, 2nd edition, Hamid S H (Ed) Marcel Dekker Inc New York. 

---