Enhanced antistatic and solvent resistant polycarbonate blends: Fabrication and characterization

Abstract

AbstractThis study presents the development of advanced antistatic and solvent resistant polycarbonate blends by incorporating antistatic agents (AAs) into bisphenol A‐type polycarbonate (PBPA) and polycarbonate‐polysiloxane copolymer (P‐Si). A straightforward one‐step melt blending was employed to fabricate PBPA/P‐Si/AA blends. Comprehensive characterization methods, including Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), optical microscope, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and both tensile and impact tests were deployed to study the structure, morphology, thermal, and mechanical behaviors of the synthesized blends. The results demonstrated effective mixing of PBPA and P‐Si. The Tg of PBPA/P‐Si/AA blends is decreased relative to PBPA, because the chain flexibility of the blends will be increased after adding AA, which is reflected in the impact strength and elongation at break of PBPA/P‐Si/AA blends. On the other hand, the thermal stability of PBPA/P‐Si/AA is reduced relative to PBPA. The most significant result is that the resistance of the blends to ethyl acetate is enhanced. This is because the addition of P‐Si to the matrix introduces a high bonding energy SiO bond, which makes PHBPA/P‐Si less prone to detachment and cracking and swelling when exposed to ethyl acetate. While improving the solvent resistance, the blends also have excellent antistatic property, only the concentration of AA is increased to 6 wt.%, and the surface resistance of PBPA/P‐Si/AA is reduced from 106 GΩ to only 1 GΩ. This dramatic decrease is a result of the widespread distribution of the positive charge of the ammonium ion throughout the material, promoting the formation of a continuous conductive network within the matrix and thereby enhancing conductivity. In conclusion, this study offers valuable insights into improving the solvent resistance and antistatic characteristics of polycarbonate blends.