Phenolic antioxidants — BHT and TBHQ — that protect polyolefins, styrenics, and resins from thermal and oxidative degradation during processing and service.
Polymer antioxidants are additives that interrupt the oxidation reactions that degrade plastics during processing and in service. They protect against the heat and shear of compounding and against long-term thermal aging in the finished part. Hindered phenols such as BHT are the primary class for polyolefins and styrenics. Add the antioxidant at the masterbatch or compounding stage so it is distributed through the melt before the polymer sees its first heat history.
BHT is the low-cost workhorse phenolic antioxidant: effective, widely available, and easy to disperse. The trade-off is volatility. BHT can evaporate during high-temperature processing and migrate or bloom out of thin sections over time, so the protection may not last the full service life of a thick or hot-running part. For durable goods, formulators often pair a primary phenol with a secondary phosphite; for short-life or cost-driven items, BHT on its own is adequate.
tert-Butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) is a second hindered-phenol option, also used as a polymerization inhibitor in monomers and unsaturated polyester resins. Choose the antioxidant by part thickness, processing temperature, and required service life rather than by unit cost alone. Dose to the resin supplier's recommended range: over-addition wastes additive and can cause plate-out, while under-addition shows up as yellowing, embrittlement, or melt-flow drift during processing.
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