Isothermal volume relaxation in aged polycarbonate measured by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy

The positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) technique is used to measure volume relaxation in physically aged glassy polycarbonate. The relaxation times and activation energy calculated for the isothermal relaxations in the aged polycarbonate are greater than those parameters calculated for unaged polycarbonate. The activation energy of 8.2 kcal/mol in the aged polycarbonate is used to identify the phenyl group motion or the cooperative carbonate‐phenyl interaction as the molecular features responsible for the thermally induced open volume relaxations. It is postulated that the open volume relaxation kinetics as measured by PALS can be used as a nondestructive indication of property differences between aged and unaged polycarbonate.