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Molding polycarbonate: Moisture degradation effect on physical and chemical properties
Author(s) -
Long T. S.,
Sokol R. J.
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
polymer engineering and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.503
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1548-2634
pISSN - 0032-3888
DOI - 10.1002/pen.760141202
Subject(s) - materials science , polycarbonate , molding (decorative) , ultimate tensile strength , moisture , dispersity , composite material , gel permeation chromatography , polymer , degradation (telecommunications) , plasticizer , water content , polymer chemistry , geotechnical engineering , telecommunications , computer science , engineering
Abstract Proper drying techniques prior to molding can eliminate the overall effects of moisture on the physicochemical properties of polycarbonate. Problems associated with moisture in polycarbonate during molding are described in detail. Moisture absorption is very rapid with the maximum allowable moisture content of 0.03 percent reached within 30 minutes at 49 percent RH and 75°F. Molding with excess moisture content causes a chemical and physical degradation resulting in reduction in tensile impact strength, tensile elongation, ultimate tensile strength, proportional limit and molecular weight. New and existing techniques and procedures for degradation detection were investigated, such as intrinsic viscosity, infrared spectrometry, and thermal methods of analysis. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) proved the most satisfactory. GPC provided information on the average molecular weight and polydispersity.