What causes oxidative aging of rubber?

Various external factors, including oxidative agents (such as oxygen), heavy metals, UV rays, ozone, mechanical stress, heat, and aggressive chemicals, etc., could accelerate rubber aging. This review mainly focused on thermo-oxidative aging because it is the most common aging type for rubbers.

Are rubber antioxidants harmful?

As shown in Table 1, many commonly used rubber antioxidants are damaging to human health and the environment. For example, the antioxidant MB (2-mercaptobenzimidazole), which is widely used in the manufacture of light-colored rubber products, is harmful to aquatic organisms and has a continuous effect.

What are the future trends of rubber antioxidants?

The perspectives on the future trends of rubber antioxidants have been presented. Elastomers, especially diene-rubbers containing unsaturated double carbon bonds in the main chains, are vulnerable to thermal/oxygen aging, which would make the elastomers less elastic and result in earlier failure of the elastomer products.

What are the different types of anti-aging agents?

There is the anti–aging agent TNP. Phosphite hydroperoxide decomposers and free radical catchers, which play an auxiliary antioxidant role in polymer systems. They are mostly used with hindered phenols, but rarely used alone. 5. Other kinds of anti–aging agents 5.1 Long-acting anti–aging agent.

How does rubber antioxidant work?

To prolong the service life of rubber composites by retarding their aging processes, rubber antioxidant initially relies on the use of a coating, such as paraffin, and coal tar, to physically isolate oxygen, but this protective layer would quickly lose the utility due to wear.

What happens if rubber ages?

Rubbers, especially the diene-rubbers containing double bonds in their main chains, are particularly susceptible to aging, leading to the deterioration of the outlook, hardness, and physical/mechanical performances. The aging of the rubber would even lead to a great waste of rubber resources and threaten people's lives and safety.