W14-ANTIOX-DECISION — Primary vs Secondary Antioxidants, and When Both
1. What decision is the buyer trying to make?
Whether to run a primary AO alone, a secondary AO alone, or a balanced primary + secondary system — and at what loading.
2. Which variables actually matter?
- Degradation stage being addressed (processing vs long-term service)
- Polymer, residence time, temperature
- Recycled content (%)
- Presence of metal contaminants (Cu, Fe) in cable / wire applications
- Interactions with UV package, colour, and food-contact rules
3. Which variables are commonly misunderstood?
- "One AO is enough" — for most polyolefin processes, a phenolic + phosphite pairing is standard.
- Higher loading is not always better — blooming and colour drift appear.
- Metal deactivators are sometimes required in wire & cable but often forgotten.
4. What should the buyer investigate next?
Whether the current AO ratio matches the real thermal history — and whether a metal deactivator is required.
5. What should be included in the RFQ?
Polymer + MFI · process + residence time · service temperature + life · recycled content · metal contact (cable/wire) · other additives present · regulatory scope · volume · benchmark grade.
Ending — Decision Graph Completeness
- Learned: stabilisation is a system, not a single additive.
- Investigate next: whether your system is balanced and correctly loaded.
- RFQ prep: 10 items above.
Bridges
- W14-ANTIOX-ECO · W14-ANTIOX-PRODUCT
- W11 Problem-First · W13-A-008