File:Lexan.svg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
polycarbonate
Also known as PC, Polycarbonate, PC, Makrolon
Key facts
- Material.limiting_oxygen_index
- 25–29%
- Material.name
- Polycarbonate
- Material.image
- Lexan.svg
- Material.image_size
- 300px
- Material.caption
- Repeating chemical structure unit of polycarbonate made from bisphenol A ---- class=skin-invert|center|300px Transmission spectrum of polycarbonate
- Material.density
- 1.20–1.22 g/cm3
- Material.abbe_number
- 34.0
- Material.refractive_index
- 1.584–1.586
- Material.flammability
- HB-V2
- Material.water_absorption_eq
- 0.16–0.35%
- Material.water_absorption_24h
- 0.1%
- Material.youngs_modulus
- 2.0–2.4 GPa
~19 min read
Article
25 sectionsContents
- Structure
- Production
- Phosgene route
- Transesterification route
- Properties and processing
- Applications
- Electronic components
- Construction materials
- 3D printing
- Data storage
- Automotive, aircraft, and security components
- Niche applications
- Medical applications
- Mobile phones
- History
- Potential hazards in food contact applications
- Environmental impact
- Disposal
- Photo-oxidation of polycarbonate
- Photo-aging reaction
- Thermal degradation
- Effect of fungi
- See also
- References
- External links
Polycarbonates (PC) are a group of thermoplastic polymers containing carbonate groups in their chemical structures. Polycarbonates used in engineering are strong, tough materials, and some grades are optically transparent. They are easily worked, molded, and thermoformed. Because of these properties, polycarbonates find many applications. Polycarbonates do not have a unique resin identification code (RIC) and are identified as "Other", 7 on the RIC list. Products made from polycarbonate can contain the precursor monomer bisphenol A (BPA).
==Structure== thumb|left|Structure of dicarbonate (PhOC(O)OC6H4 )2CMe2 derived from bis(phenol-A) and two equivalents of phenol. This molecule reflects a subunit of a typical polycarbonate derived from bis(phenol-A). Carbonate esters have planar OC(OC)2 cores, which confer rigidity. The unique O=C bond is short (1.173 Å in the depicted example), while the C-O bonds are more ether-like (the bond distances of 1.326 Å for the example depicted). Polycarbonates received their name because they are polymers containing carbonate groups (−O−(C=O)−O−). A balance of useful features, including temperature resistance, impact resistance and optical properties, positions polycarbonates between commodity plastics and engineering plastics.
