Solid-state Processing of Polymer in the Presence of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide
Abstract
Open cell microporous bisphenol-A polycarbonate (PC) films are made by a novel, solvent-free processing: drawing PC in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO 2 ). The pore size is less than 1.0 m, and the porosity is in the range of 20-70% and is highly tunable. The porous film has mechanical properties nearly as high as the original film. The influence of temperature and pressure on drawability, porosity, and mechanical integrity are systematically studied.