| Abstract: | Polycarbonate tensile bars were aged up to 18 months at 0%, 75%, and 100% relative humidity and temperatures of 65–93°C. In the humid aged samples hydrolysis caused progressive reductions in molecular weight. Below a critical molecular weight (M w = 33,800, M n = 14,300) tensile strength dropped off rapidly. A transition from ductile to brittle failure was also observed at that point. Extrapolations indicate that the ductile–brittle transition at 38°C will be reached after 5 years at 100% relative humidity for the polycarbonate studied. Elongation was affected even in the early stages of hydrolysis. This suggests that whenever the degradation mechanism is a molecular weight reduction, toughness will be affected before the strength properties are lost. Mechanical properties are affected by annealing and antiplasticization which reduce localized stresses and increase short-range order. The brittle fracture surfaces of polycarbonate consist of four distinct regions. The size of the regions and the prominence of the features changed as the molecular weight decreased. |
