Although usually designed for long-term applications, there are many uses for polymers that degrade at the end of their useful lifetime. One example would be their use in a sensor, placed randomly in the environment to monitor an event, and then eliminated through a triggered decomposition at the end of its useful life. This presentation explores the study of a group of polycarbonates, their blends and their composites whose decomposition can be triggered, strategies for triggered decomposition within minutes at modest temperatures and their incorporation into nanocomposites to enhance their mechanical properties. Several polycarbonates previously studied as photoresists were investigated as transient structural materials. These polycarbonates are prone to acid catalyzed cleavage of the main chain. The low temperature (150°C or less) disassembly into volatile products was investigated using photoacid and thermal acid generators. The relatively modest mechanical properties of these materials were improved by blending with poly(propylene carbonate) in order to make toughened, more mechanically robust structures. Nanocomposites were developed based on organically modified montmorillonite clays to further increase Young's modulus while maintain the low temperature, fast transience of these polymer systems. More recently, these systems have been processed into electrospun nanofibers mattes for use in structural applications. Further discussion of the processing and uses of these materials will be presented.<br/>

Vanishing polymers: Polymer systems designed to fail

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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