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The rheological properties and processability at injection molding were studied for bisphenol-A polycarbonate (PC) that was modified by low-density polyethylene (LDPE) having a low shear viscosity. The LDPE addition significantly decreased the steady-state shear viscosity, especially in the high shear rate region. The decrease did not originate from slippage on the die wall but due to interfacial slippage between the PC and dispersed LDPE droplets that deformed to the flow direction to a great extent. As a result of the viscosity decrease, injection pressure largely decreased from 150 to 110 MPa with the addition only 5 wt.% of LDPE. The enhanced flowability also reduced the warpage of the molded product significantly, demonstrating that the processability at injection molding was improved by the addition of LDPE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to shear flow produced by a pressure‐driven capillary rheometer provides a concentration gradient without phase separation in miscible polymer blends of bisphenol‐A polycarbonate containing low‐molecular‐weight poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). The strand surface extruded from the rheometer contains a large amount of PMMA. However, the strand is transparent because there is no light scattering due to phase separation. The segregation behavior, that is, enrichment of the PMMA content at the strand surface, is enhanced when the molecular weight of PMMA is low. Furthermore, the segregation is also enhanced at high temperatures and at high shear rates. By contrast, the die length barely affects the degree of segregation. The segregation phenomenon should be noted because it may facilitate the modification of the surface properties of various products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the structure and properties of transparent films composed of bisphenol-A polycarbonate (PC) and a commercially available copolyester, poly(1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol-co-2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol-co-terephthalate) (CPE), were studied. Both PC and CPE films are known to be transparent with good mechanical toughness. It was found that PC/CPE (50/50) showed miscibility in both the molten and solid states, indicating that there is a high possibility for the blend system to be miscible in the whole blend ratios. Because of the miscibility, the blend films showed no light scattering originating from phase separation. The mechanical properties of the films, such as Young's modulus, yield stress, and strain at break, were determined by the blend ratio, and the glass transition temperature increased with the PC content, which corresponded well with the values predicted by the Fox equation. These results demonstrate that the thermal and mechanical properties of the films can only be controlled by the blend ratio. Since these transparent films showed excellent mechanical toughness irrespective of the blend ratios, they can be employed in various applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Miscible blends composed of bisphenol-A polycarbonate (PC) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), in which one of them has low molecular weight, were employed to study the surface segregation behavior during flow. The blend samples showed typical rheological behaviors, such as simple polymer melts without a long-time relaxation mechanism ascribed to phase separation, demonstrating that they were miscible. After injection molding, the amounts of a low molecular weight component on the blend surface were found to be larger than the actual blend ratio. Because the injection-molded products were transparent despite a huge difference in refractive indices between PC and PMMA, they showed no phase separation. This result demonstrated that surface segregation of a low molecular weight component occurred under flow field, which expands the material design such as tough plastics with good scratch resistance and optical fibers with tapered refractive index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of pressure and shear rate on the miscibility of binary blends comprising bisphenol-A polycarbonate (PC) and low molecular weight poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) were investigated using a capillary rheometer. Both pressure and shear rate affected the miscibility. The examination of an extruded strand of the blend provided information about the cause of the phase change. Under high pressure, pressure-induced demixing occurred at temperatures below the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the blend. Consequently, the extruded strand became opaque throughout. During shear-induced mixing/demixing, a part of the strand became opaque because of the distribution of the shear rate in the strand. For example, during shear-induced demixing, only the exterior of the strand, i.e., the high shear rate region, became opaque. Above the LCST, shear-induced mixing occurred, and only the center region of the strand became opaque. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The mechanical properties of polycarbonate (PC) containing lithium perchlorate (LiClO4), which is found to ionize in PC, are examined. The modulus of PC is greatly enhanced by the addition of LiClO4 because of the electrostatic interaction between the lithium cation and the carbonyl group in PC molecules. Previously reported organic antiplasticizers, which fill the free volume of polymers, are known to reduce mechanical toughness and heat resistance. However, the addition of LiClO4 does not sacrifice the advantages of PC, such as heat resistance, transparency, and mechanical toughness. This phenomenon is notable because it is applicable for the enhancement of the mechanical properties of PC. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 44882. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure and properties of isosorbide-based polycarbonate (ISB-PC), and its responses to water absorption were investigated. Although the glass transition temperature of an ISB-PC film decreased as its water content increased, its Young's modulus increased as the strain at break decreased. The tensile yield stress of the polymer decreased following water absorption. Optical properties such as the refractive index and the photoelastic coefficient in the glassy state were also affected by water absorption. The refractive index increased with the water content, although the refractive index of water is lower than that of the polymer. The photoelastic coefficient reached a maximum at a specific water content. These phenomena can be explained by the interaction between water molecules and the carbonyl groups in the polymer, which affect the segmental mobility and polarizability anisotropy of ISB-PC. Basic properties such as entanglement molecular weight were also determined. Image 1 • Basic properties such as Me of isosorbide-based polycarbonate were clarified. • An increase in water content reduced the strain at break and increased the Young's modulus. • The yield stress decreased with increasing the water content. • The stress-optical coefficient is a function of water content. • Interaction with water molecules affects the chain mobility and polarizability anisotropy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the selective localization of carbon nanofillers, such as multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and graphene nanoplatelet (GNP), in immiscible polymer blends composed of polycarbonate (PC) and polyethylene (PE) or ethylene-propylene copolymer (EPR). It was found that the distribution state of the carbon nanofillers in the composites is greatly affected by the mixing temperature and the species of nanofillers. MWCNTs resided in the PE or EPR phase in the composites, which cannot be explained by the difference in the interfacial tension. A similar morphology was detected in the PC/GNP/PE composite prepared at 300 °C. In contrast, the PC/GNP/PE composite prepared at the low temperature (250 °C) and the PC/GNP/EPR composites have the carbon nanofillers mostly in the PC phase. The selective localization in the PE or EPR phase is attributed to the surface adsorption of PE or EPR chains on the carbon nanofillers, which is more obvious for PE and at the high mixing temperature. These results demonstrate that both the species of carbon nanofillers and the mixing temperature affect the carbon nanofiller distribution in the immiscible blends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]