Octadecyl 3-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)propionate is significantly less volatile than simpler phenolic antioxidants such as butylhydroxytoluene (BHT). This makes it more suitable to stabilising plastics, as it is not driven out by the high temperatures experienced during plastic extrusion and moulding,[2] when they are heated to 150-320 °C (300–600 °F).[3] It is widely used in the commodity plastics, particularly in polyethylenes and polypropylene. It has approval for use in food contact materials, such as plastic food packaging in the EU and US,[4] amongst others.
It is one of the most common polymer antioxidants, in part because of its comparatively low price. The stearyl tail reduces volatility and gives good chemical compatibility with plastics but contributes nothing to antioxidant performance. When higher performance is needed pentaerythritol tetrakis(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyhydrocinnamate) a common alternative.[5]
^Vulic, Ivan; Vitarelli, Giacomo; Zenner, John M. (January 2002). "Structure–property relationships: phenolic antioxidants with high efficiency and low colour contribution". Polymer Degradation and Stability. 78 (1): 27–34. doi:10.1016/S0141-3910(02)00115-5.
^Jipa, S.; Setnescu, R.; Setnescu, T.; Cazac, C.; Budrugeac, P.; Mihalcea, I. (January 1993). "The comparative effectiveness of some commercial antioxidants as studied by lyoluminescence". Polymer Degradation and Stability. 40 (1): 101–107. doi:10.1016/0141-3910(93)90197-Q.