Abstract
This chapter discusses the results of weathering exposure of polycarbonate (PC). PC is an amorphous thermoplastic with excellent toughness characteristics, clarity, and heat deflection properties. With the appropriate UV stabilization, PC can be used in products ranging from automotive parts to sunglasses. When PC is irradiated with short wavelength UV-B or UV-C radiation, polycarbonates undergo a rearrangement reaction (referred to as photo-Fries rearrangement). At low oxygen levels this reaction can yield yellow-colored products such as o-dihydroxy-benzophenones. But when irradiated at longer wavelengths (including solar visible wavelengths) in the presence of air, polycarbonates undergo oxidative reactions that result in the formation of other yellow products. However, neither the detailed mechanisms nor the specific compounds responsible for the yellow coloration have been fully identified. Monochromatic exposure experiments on the wavelength sensitivity of several degradation processes of bis-phenol A polycarbonates have been reported recently.
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