Preparation of a New Antioxidant for Polypropylene Based on Quercetin

Quercetin, a naturally occurring antioxidant, was converted to quercetin stearate through an esterification reaction with stearic acid. The occurrence of the esterification reaction was examined by FT-IR spectroscopy. The synthesized ester was then incorporated into polypropylene via melt mixing. Determination of oxidative induction time (OIT) and oxidation onset temperature (OOT) of the samples with the aid of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), proved that the modified quercetin enhances the stability of the polymer outstandingly in the melt state, so that, the stabilization efficiency of quercetin stearate is higher than that of Songnox 1010, a commercially used antioxidant for polypropylene.