Compound antioxidants: Provide consumers with longer product lifespan

In today's fast-paced era, whether it is electronic products, automotive parts or daily consumer goods, people have increasingly demanded on product life and durability. Who doesn’t want their phone to be used for more years? Who doesn’t want the plastic products at home to stand the test of time? However, reality is always cruel - the oxidation reaction is like an invisible "hand of time", quietly eroding the performance of the material and shortening the service life of the product.

In order to fight this inevitable natural phenomenon, scientists invented a magical substance - a composite antioxidant. It is like an invisible guardian, silently protecting various materials around us and extending their "life". This article will deeply explore the definition, type, mechanism of action and performance of composite antioxidants, and through detailed data and case analysis, help consumers understand how this key technology can improve the durability and economic value of the product.

Next, we will discuss it from the following aspects:

Basic Knowledge of Compound Antioxidants: What are Compound Antioxidants? What types of them are there?
Mechanism of action of composite antioxidants: How does it compete with oxidation reaction?
Composite antioxidants application fields: From plastics to rubber to food packaging, it is everywhere.
Market status and development trends: What changes are the composite antioxidant industry going through globally?
Compound antioxidants from the perspective of consumers: Why is it more meaningful to choose products containing compound antioxidants?

Whether you are a technology enthusiast who is interested in materials science or an ordinary consumer, this article will unveil the mystery of composite antioxidants and let you understand why it is an indispensable part of modern industry.

1. Basic knowledge of compound antioxidants

(I) What is a compound antioxidant?

Composite antioxidant is a chemical additive that synergizes with multiple antioxidant components. It is mainly used to delay or inhibit the degradation process caused by oxidation of materials. Simply put, it is a "preservative", but its functions are much more than that. Compared with single antioxidants, composite antioxidants can solve multiple problems at the same time, such as thermal stability, light stability, and aging phenomena that may occur during long-term storage.

In nature, oxidation reactions are everywhere. For example, cut apples will gradually change color, and iron tools will produce rust when exposed to the air.These are all the results of oxidation. For industrial materials, oxidation is also an issue that cannot be ignored. When plastics, rubber or other polymers are exposed to oxygen for a long time, the molecular chains will break, causing the material to become brittle, yellow and even lose its original properties. The existence of composite antioxidants is to prevent or slow down the occurrence of this process.

(II) Classification of composite antioxidants

According to their functions and mechanisms of action, compound antioxidants can be divided into the following categories:

Category	Description	Common Representatives
Main antioxidant	Can directly capture free radicals, thereby interrupting the oxidation chain reaction	Stealed phenols (such as BHT), amines
Auxiliary Antioxidants	Mainly used to decompose peroxides and reduce the consumption of main antioxidants	Phosophate (such as TNP), thioesters
Light Stabilizer	Prevent oxidation reactions caused by ultraviolet rays	Harden amine light stabilizer (HALS), ultraviolet absorber
Metal ion passivator	Inhibit the catalytic oxidation reaction of metal ions	Phosophites

Each type of antioxidant has its unique advantages and limitations, so in practical applications, they are usually combined to achieve optimal results. This is the origin of the word "compound" - by reasonably matching different types of antioxidants, we can give full play to their respective advantages and form a strong protective barrier.

(III) Development history of composite antioxidants

The history of composite antioxidants can be traced back to the early 20th century, when people began to realize that certain chemicals can delay oil rancidity. With the rise of polymer materials, especially the large-scale production of plastics such as polyethylene and polypropylene, the demand for antioxidant technology is becoming increasingly urgent. By the mid-20th century, scientists gradually realized the shortcomings of single antioxidants and tried to develop more efficient composite formulas.

Now, composite antioxidants have become a highly mature industry and are widely used in many fields such as plastics, rubbers, coatings, and lubricants. According to the Global Antioxidants Market Report (2022), the market is expected to exceed US$8 billion by 2030, with an average annual growth rate of more than 5%. This fully demonstrates that compound antioxidants are in modern societyan important position in the association.

2. The mechanism of action of composite antioxidants

To truly understand the importance of composite antioxidants, we must first understand the basic principles of oxidation reactions. As mentioned earlier, oxidation reactions can lead to a decline in material properties, and composite antioxidants inhibit this reaction through a series of complex chemical processes.

(One) The process of oxidation reaction

Oxidation reactions usually follow a typical chain reaction pattern, consisting of three stages: initiation, propagation and termination.

Initiation stage: Oxygen combines with the active points in the material to generate free radicals.
Propagation stage: Free radicals constantly react with other molecules, producing new free radicals, and forming chain reactions.
Termination phase: Two free radicals bind to each other, or are captured by other substances, thereby stopping the chain reaction.

If this process cannot be terminated in time, the material will be seriously damaged. For example, plastic products may become fragile and brittle, while rubber tires may lose their elasticity.

(II) How do compound antioxidants work?

The main task of composite antioxidants is to interrupt the above-mentioned chain reaction, which can be achieved in the following ways:

Free Radical Scavenger: The main antioxidant (such as hindered phenols) can quickly capture free radicals, converting them into stable compounds, thus preventing the reaction from continuing.
Peroxide Decomposition: Auxiliary antioxidants (such as phosphates) are responsible for decomposing peroxides and reducing the burden on the main antioxidants.
Ultraviolet shielding: Light stabilizers can absorb ultraviolet energy and prevent it from triggering an oxidation reaction.
Metal ion passivation: Some metal ions (such as copper and iron) will accelerate the oxidation process, and metal ion passivation agents can effectively inhibit this catalytic effect.

Through the above mechanism, composite antioxidants can not only delay the aging speed of the material, but also significantly improve their weather resistance and mechanical properties.

(III) Example analysis: Compound antioxidants in plastics

Let's take polypropylene (PP) as an example to see how composite antioxidants work. Untreated polypropylene is prone to thermal oxidation and degradation under high temperature conditions, which is manifested as yellowing color and decreased intensity. However, after adding an appropriate amount of composite antioxidant, these problems are solved.

Ingredients	Function	Effect
Stealed Phenols	Catch free radicals	Stop chain reaction
Phosphate	Decomposition of peroxides	Reduce by-product accumulation
HALS	Absorb UV rays	Improving weather resistance

Experiments show that polypropylene products with composite antioxidants can maintain good performance even in extreme environments and can extend their service life by several times.

3. Application fields of composite antioxidants

Composite antioxidants have been widely used in many industries due to their excellent performance. The following are several typical application scenarios:

(I) Plastics Industry

Plastic is one of the common materials in modern life, but due to its own structural characteristics, it is easily affected by oxidation. The addition of composite antioxidants makes plastic products more durable and also reduces production costs.

1. Packaging Materials

Food packaging is one of the common plastic application areas. To ensure food safety and extend the shelf life, many packaging materials are added with composite antioxidants. For example, the composite antioxidants commonly used in PET bottles can effectively prevent oxygen penetration, thereby protecting the contents from contamination.

2. Engineering Plastics

Engineering plastics (such as PCs, PAs) are widely used in automotive parts, electronic equipment and other fields. Since these materials need to withstand higher temperatures and pressures, the requirements for antioxidant properties are particularly stringent. The use of composite antioxidants greatly improves their reliability and service life.

(II) Rubber Industry

Rubber products (such as tires, seals) also face the threat of oxidative aging. By adding composite antioxidants, not only can the rubber be processed, but it can also significantly extend its service time.

1. Tire manufacturing

Tyres are an important part of the car, and their performance directly affects driving safety. Studies have shown that tires containing composite antioxidants are 20%-30% more wear-resistant than ordinary tires and have stronger anti-aging capabilities.

2. Seals

In the fields of aerospace and chemical industry, high-performance seals require extremely high material stability. The introduction of composite antioxidants allows these seals to work for a long time in harsh environments without failure.

(III) Coatings and Inks

The resin components in coatings and inks are also easy to produceOxidation reactions, causing the coating to peel off or fade. The addition of composite antioxidants can effectively avoid these problems and make the coating more lasting and beautiful.

IV. Market status and development trends

In recent years, with the increase in environmental awareness and technological advancement, the composite antioxidant market has shown the following significant characteristics:

Green trend: More and more companies are beginning to pay attention to the environmental protection performance of composite antioxidants, striving to develop products that are harmless to the human body and the environment.
Customized Services: Different industries have different demands for composite antioxidants, so suppliers are increasingly focusing on providing personalized solutions.
Technical Innovation: The research and development of new composite antioxidants is emerging one after another, such as nano-scale antioxidants, bio-based antioxidants, etc., which further broadened their application scope.

According to authoritative institutions, in the next ten years, the Asia-Pacific region will become a fast-growing market for global compound antioxidants, with the main driving force coming from the rapid development of emerging economies such as China and India.

5. Complex antioxidants from the perspective of consumers

For ordinary consumers, although we may not understand the specific components and principles of compound antioxidants, it does have a profound impact on our daily lives. Just imagine, without composite antioxidants, your phone case may have cracked to pieces, your home's plastic furniture may have turned yellow and deformed, and even the juice sold in supermarkets may deteriorate due to the aging of the packaging materials.

Therefore, when purchasing products, you may wish to pay more attention to whether the use of composite antioxidants is mentioned in the product manual. After all, a carefully designed and optimized product often contains more technological content and humanistic care.

Conclusion

Compound antioxidants are inconspicuous, but they play a crucial role. It not only extends the service life of the product, reduces resource waste, but also creates a more comfortable and convenient living environment for us. As the old saying goes, "Details determine success or failure." Today, in the pursuit of high-quality life, compound antioxidants are undoubtedly a key detail worthy of our attention and attention.

I hope this article can help you better understand this magical substance and make more wise decisions in future choices. After all, who doesn’t want to have a good product that “longevity”?

Compound antioxidants: Provide consumers with longer product lifespan

Compound antioxidants: Provide consumers with longer product lifespan