Development of Branched Polycarbonate by an Ultrasound-Assisted Melt Mixing Process with Multifunctional Agents

摘要

The chain structure of polymer molecules is an important characteristic of polymers. In the polymer industry, in-situ processing during polymerization or a post-processing is applied to alter the chain structure as an attempt to produce polymers with tailored properties. Among various methods to control the chain structure, ultrasound-induced polymer chain scission is a useful route which can either be used as a post-processing step or can be used during ultrasound-induced polymerization. In our previous studies, we intended to induce degradation of polymer melts in a sonicated intensive mixer and extruder. By combining high intensity ultrasound which causes chain scission of polymer molecules and a multifunctional agent (MFA) having double bonds at its ends, we were able to modify the molecular structure of polycarbonate (PC) from linear to branched structure during melt processing. The three double bonds in chain ends of MFA were expected to act as sites for trapping macroradicals of PC during the course of ultrasound-assisted mixing process. The transformation of molecular structure of PC was confirmed by the measurements of rheological properties of the modified PC.