Oxidative Degradation of Polyolefins in the Presence of Cupric and Ferric Stearate Additives

Abstract

Ferric stearate‐ and cupric stearate‐containing masterbatches were successfully prepared by reactive extrusion compounding in a twin screw compounder. These prodegradant additives were formed by the reaction of the corresponding hydrated sulfate salts with calcium stearate in the polyethylene melt. High density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP) films containing these metal‐based additives showed accelerated ageing in both QUV artificial UV ageing as well as oven ageing at 63 °C.