Overview of Recent Developments in the UV Stabilization of Polyolefins

摘要

The use of various UV stabilizers to provide durability to polyolefins in outdoor applications has made significant advances over the last 30 to 40 years. During this period, there have been growth opportunities for polyolefins that have allowed for the replacement of traditional materials such as wood, metal, glass and even engineering plastics. There are a variety of traditional products that address a majority of the requirements of the plastics industry. Some of these new opportunities (demanding applications) push the envelope of what the current UV stabilizer technologies are capable of delivering. This paper will review various new UV stabilizers systems that were developed to solve troublesome issues that have recently been identified, with a focus on specific applications. The take home messages from our continuous efforts to meet these challenges are as follows: 1) Plastics continue to serve as an attractive and reliable replacement for conventional materials such as wood, metal and glass; 2) novel and demanding applications (opportunities) continue to develop; and 3) at least two important aspects of durability must be maintained; i.e., physical properties, as well as aesthetic appeal.