Polycarbonate

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. Products made from polycarbonate can contain the precursor monomer bisphenol A (BPA). Polycarbonate is also known by a variety of trademarked names, including Lexan, Makrolon, and others.

Structure

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.

Production

The main polycarbonate material is produced by the reaction of bisphenol A (BPA) and phosgene COCl
2
. The overall reaction can be written as follows:

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