The effects of hydrothermal aging on properties and structure of bisphenol A polycarbonate

The properties and structure of Bisphenol A polycarbonate (PC) under hydrothermal aging were investigated. The results of mechanical testing indicate that there is obvious elongation at break on the curve of PC samples before hydrothermal aging and no elongation at break after aging. After aging, the bending strength and the tensile strength of PC increase. According to scanning electron microscopy photographs of fracture surfaces, after hydrothermal aging, there are many fragments linked to the fracture surface and the length of deformation at break disappears. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis shows that the glass transition temperature (T_g) of polycarbonate increases after hydrothermal aging. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy shows hydrolytic degradation after hydrothermal aging.