Studies of bisphenol-A–polycarbonate aging by Raman difference spectroscopy

Abstract

Raman difference spectroscopy (RDS) has been used to measure small frequency shifts (up to ±3 cm −1) in the Raman frequencies of the bisphenol-A–polycarbonate polymer when subjected to elongation or thermal aging. While only minor shifts were observed upon thermal treatment, the elongation treatment resulted in shifts of −2.51±0.23 cm −1 for the C–O stretching band at 1235 cm −1 of −0.78±0.15 cm −1 for the CH out-of-plane wag at 885 cm −1. Smaller shifts were also observed for the 1606 and 1111 cm −1 bands. This work demonstrates that conformational processes can be monitored using RDS.