A Brief History of Plastic Additives. Part 1: Antioxidants

Abstract The development of suitable antioxidants has been a decisive element for the success of plastics in particular in the field of polyolefins. Build‐up from well‐accessible simple sterically hindered phenol structures, aromatic amines, and sulfur‐containing intermediates a comprehensive range of polymer and application‐specific products including multifunctional substances is commercially available today. Many successful products fulfill the market needs and are available on a global basis from different producers. Other promising products survives only for a short time. The future will see more stabilizers based on renewable resources and tailor‐made systems for mechanical recycling supporting the circularity of plastics. The present review covers historical developments with a focus on the last 30 years and intends to fill an information gap triggering potential novel aspects in the area of antioxidants.