Polycarbonate
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Description
Polycarbonates (PC) are a group of polymers that contain carbonate groups (O-CO-O) in their chemical structures. They are thermoplastic, tend to be easily worked, molded and thermoformed. The are listed as “other” or “7” on the resin identification code (RIC) list.
Polycarbonate is a term that is often applied solely for polycarbonate of bisphenol A.
Synonyms and Related Terms
Brand Names: Lexan (General Electric)
Applications
Personal Risks
Collection Risks
Environmental Risks
- Polycarbonate can form bisphenol A (BPA) in the environment. It is on the watch list of many countries including the United States and Germany.
- Thermal degradation polycarbonates produce phenol and phenol derivatives, known environmental pollutants (Collin 2012, Pollution Database 2017)
Collection Risks
Standard resins alone are not suitable for long-term exposure to UV radiation. They will yellow with long exposure to sunlight.
Working Properties
Can be folded/bent using sheet metal techniques.
Forms/Sizes
Resources and Citations
- Contributions: Molly McGath, AIC Plastics Panel, 2020.
- Hunt, PA; Kara E. Koehler; Martha Susiarjo; Craig A. Hodges; Arlene Ilagan; Robert C. Voigt; Sally Thomas; Brian F. Thomas; Terry J. Hassold (2003). "Bisphenol A Exposure Causes Meiotic Aneuploidy in the Female Mouse". Current Biology. 13 (7): 546–553. doi:10.1016/S0960-9822(03)00189-1. PMID 12676084
- Koehler, KE; Robert C. Voigt; Sally Thomas; Bruce Lamb; Cheryl Urban; Terry Hassold; Patricia A. Hunt (2003). "When disaster strikes: rethinking caging materials". Lab Animal. 32 (4): 24–27. doi:10.1038/laban0403-24. PMID 19753748. Archived from the original on 2009-07-06. Retrieved 2008-05-06.
- Collin, S.; Bussière, P. -O.; Thérias, S.; Lambert, J. -M.; Perdereau, J.; Gardette, J. -L. (2012-11-01). "Physicochemical and mechanical impacts of photo-ageing on bisphenol a polycarbonate". Polymer Degradation and Stability. 97 (11): 2284–2293. doi:10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2012.07.036.
"Pollution Database". pollution.unibuc.ro. Archived from the original on 2017-12-29. Retrieved 2016-11-14.