Why do certain types of thermoplastics or rubber (i.e. used for soft buttons of a tv remote or the insulation of cheap headphone cables) turn sticky or even gooey after they haven’t been used in a long while?
In: 41
Usually this is a filler oil or antioxidant oozing out.
Oxygen and ozone will obliterate many types of polymers very quickly if you don’t add protective chemicals into the mixture. Adding oils to the mix makes the plastics more flexible.
Over time they break down and work their way out.
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