Polycarbonate (PC) Is A Material That Has Gotten A Lot More Attention Than I Expected！

Polycarbonate (PC) Is A Material That Has Gotten A Lot More Attention Than I Expected！

Polycarbonate has gotten a lot more attention than I thought it would, and it's one of the most heavily used polymers out there.

History of Development

The history of polycarbonate (PC) can be traced back to the late 19th century, when it was first synthesized in the laboratory by German chemist Alfred Einhorn in 1898. Although this was the first synthesis of polycarbonate, it did not gain widespread attention or commercial application at that time.

Until the middle of the 20th century, with the rapid development of plastics science and technology, polycarbonate began to get attention. 1953, Germany Bayer scientists Hermann Schnell re-synthesized polycarbonate, and in 1955 applied for a patent, the trade name of “Makrolon”. The figure below shows the general formula of polycarbonate.

In the same year, Daniel Fox, a scientist at General Electric (GE), also independently synthesized polycarbonate and submitted a patent application. These two independent R&D efforts marked the beginning of the industrial production of polycarbonate. Subsequently, Bayer began mass production of polycarbonate in 1958, and GE, after paying royalties, began production in 1960 under the trade name “Lexan”. The figure below shows the structure of aromatic polycarbonate.

The development of polycarbonate synthesis process has gone through several stages, including solution phosgene method, interfacial polycondensation phosgene method, ester exchange melt polycondensation (ester exchange method) and non-phosgene ester exchange melt polycondensation method.

In China, the research and development and production of polycarbonate began in 1959, and the Shenyang Research Institute of Chemical Industry was the first to develop a successful ester exchange process and built a 100-ton/year production unit in 1965. However, due to the backward technology and raw material problems, the product quality was poor and the consumption was high, which led to the shutdown of most enterprises.

Until recent years, with the breakthrough of technology and the outbreak of production capacity, domestic enterprises such as Ningbo Zhetie Dafeng Chemical Co., Ltd. and Wanhua Chemical began to adopt the non-photogas method technology with independent intellectual property rights to produce polycarbonate, breaking the monopoly of foreign technology.

Key Features

Polycarbonate has excellent optical transparency, allowing light to pass through unobstructed, making it ideal for a wide range of applications where high light transmission is required.

At the same time, PCs excel in terms of physical and mechanical properties, particularly in impact resistance and tensile strength. This strong performance has made PCs a favorite in many industries, where they can be used in a wide range of applications.

In terms of the latest developments, the growth in PC capacity and production has been impressive.

In recent years, global PC capacity has continued to grow, particularly in China. From 2012 to 2022, China's PC capacity will surge from 400,000 tons to 3.24 million tons, with a compound annual growth rate of 23.27%.

This tremendous growth not only meets the growing domestic market demand, but also increases China's position in the global PC market.

PC production technology continues to innovate. Companies such as Costron have been able to supply a sustainable share of up to 89 percent of Makrolon® RE polycarbonate on a regular basis, and some of its products have been produced using 100 percent renewable electricity.

This marks a solid step forward for PC materials on the road to sustainability and a positive contribution to environmental protection.

The development of modification technology has also injected new vitality into PC materials. Through modification, PC materials in the processing performance, weatherability, chemical resistance and other limitations can be overcome, its processing fluidity and molding optimization, fatigue, hardness and low temperature toughness enhancement, notch sensitivity is reduced, wear and solvent resistance improved, but also added a flame retardant, plating, antistatic, and other functional characteristics.

The wide applicability of PC is an important reason for its attention.

In the electronics/electrical field, PC materials are ideal for electronic equipment housings and insulation materials due to their natural flame retardant properties, and the market demand continues to grow.

In the automotive industry, PC materials are increasingly used in the lamp system, interior and exterior parts, etc. Its lightweight and high-performance features play a key role in the automotive lightweighting strategy.

In the field of construction materials, PC's excellent light transmittance and impact resistance make it widely used in construction plates and structural materials.

In the field of aerospace, with the development of technology, the application of PC is also increasing, such as Boeing-type airplanes have a large number of polycarbonate parts.

In the field of packaging, PC material also has a broad application prospect because of its light weight and impact resistance. In the charging pile, rail transportation, semiconductor, aerospace and other emerging and high-end fields, modified PC and special engineering plastics is to show a strong potential for application.

PC/ABS Applications

On the other hand, blends of polycarbonate (PC) and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), known as PC/ABS, are also widely used in a number of industries due to their combination of excellent properties. The material combines the high transparency, impact resistance and thermal stability of PC with the processing ease and cost-effectiveness of ABS. In the electronics/electrical sector, PC/ABS is widely used in the manufacture of computer housings, mobile phone housings, and frames for TVs and monitors, where it is favoured for its light weight and impact resistance. In the automotive industry, PC/ABS is used in the production of interior and exterior components such as instrument panels, lampshades and body parts, contributing to the lightness and aesthetics of vehicles. In addition, due to its good mechanical properties and processability, PC/ABS is also commonly used in the manufacture of household appliances, toys and consumer products, demonstrating its versatility and usefulness in diverse applications.

Conclusion

As the application areas of PC/ABS materials continue to expand, the demand for material safety is also increasing, especially in industries that need to meet stringent fire safety standards. YINSU Flame Retardant has developed a series of flame retardant products for PC/ABS, including PC/ABS-16 white masterbatch, in response to this demand. This new type of flame retardant effectively alleviates the problem of volatility of traditional sulfonate flame retardants and provides more stable and long-lasting flame retardant protection. PC/ABS-16 white masterbatch, with its halogen-free and environmentally friendly characteristics, not only meets the current requirements for environmental protection and health, but also helps to improve the fire performance of the material to ensure the safe use of electronic equipment, automotive interiors, building materials and other applications, providing a new opportunity for the sustainable development and environmentally friendly application of PC/ABS materials. It opens a new way for the sustainable development and environmentally friendly application of PC/ABS materials.