Graphene vs polycarbonate

[Jim85]

Hi Guys,

I was wondering if anyone could help me. I am trying to draw up a comparison between graphene and polycarbonate. I would like to know the impact both of these have on the environment, from the processing stage right through to the disposal.

If anyone could point me in the right direction of some papers that would be very helpful.

 

[CoryPad]

There is not much to compare between the two. Graphene is a two-dimension sheet that exists on the microscopic level and has no real usage while polycarbonate is a three-dimensional polymer with annual usage of millions of tons. There is no appreciable production volume of graphene, and multiple production methods have been proposed, each with its own environmental impact. Polycarbonate does have the problem of using phosgene as one of the ingredients, which is a known poison.

 

[rickfischer51]

Polycarbonate may also contain unreacted bisphenal-A that according to some sources can be brought to the surface by washing in hot water and detergent. Bisphenal-A is said to bioaccumulate in fatty tissue and mimic various hormones, with possible negative health effects. For this reason, it's use in certain products, like sports water bottles, baby bottles, sippy cups, etc has been discontinued.

Rick Fischer
Principal Engineer
Argonne National Laboratory

 

[Demon3]

This is impossible without a lengthy and very expensive life cycle analysis of both.

Furthermore, what you probably need is an LCA of unfilled PC compared to PC filled with graphene. For example, adding the filler may improve properties so you can use less PC and still have good strength and modulus.

Also, people talk about green solutions but rarely pay for them. So even if graphene filled PC "wins", that doesn't mean it will sell.

Chris DeArmitt - PhD FRSC

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