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research article

Impact of Acetic Acid on the Hydrolysis Kinetics of Polycarbonate

Ghebremariam, Daniel
•
Desai, Umang  
•
Turan, Mert
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2026
International Journal of Polymer Science

Bisphenol A polycarbonate (PC), a lightweight and impact-resistant glass substitute widely used in structural and optical applications, suffers from hydrolytic degradation under heat and humidity, limiting its long-term outdoor reliability. In this study, the hydrolysis of PC under neutral and acetic acid conditions was systematically investigated via accelerated aging at a controlled temperature, humidity, and acetic acid concentration. Mechanical degradation was assessed by tensile testing, whereas molecular-weight evolution was evaluated using gel permeation chromatography (GPC) to establish kinetic parameters. The hydrolysis process was modeled according to first-order kinetics, justified by comparison with alternative rate laws and supported by high linearity. Activation energies and pre-exponential factors were extracted from Arrhenius analysis. The results reveal that exposure to 10% v/v acetic acid at 60°C induces a 48.6% reduction in maximum tensile strength after 1000 h, correlating with a pronounced decrease in molecular weight. Contrary to catalytic expectations, acetic acid increases the apparent activation energy, suggesting that it stabilizes the reactant relative to the transition state. Complementary differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) confirmed a decrease in glass transition temperature with molecular-weight loss, consistent with the Flory–Fox relation. Degradation products identified by MALDI-TOF were consistent with the formation of bisphenol A, phenol, and isopropenylphenol (IPP). These results provide a quantitative framework for understanding acid-assisted hydrolysis in PC and offer predictive insight for its long-term mechanical reliability in humid or acidic environments.

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Type
research article
DOI
10.1155/ijps/3765621
Scopus ID

2-s2.0-105031497544

Author(s)
Ghebremariam, Daniel

Centre Suisse d'Electronique et de Microtechnique SA

Desai, Umang  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Turan, Mert

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Cattaneo, Gianluca

Centre Suisse d'Electronique et de Microtechnique SA

Mujovi, Fahradin

Centre Suisse d'Electronique et de Microtechnique SA

Bonnet-Eymard, Bénédicte

Centre Suisse d'Electronique et de Microtechnique SA

Faes, Antonin  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Ballif, Christophe  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Sivula, Kevin  

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Date Issued

2026

Published in
International Journal of Polymer Science
Volume

2026

Issue

1

Article Number

3765621

Subjects

accelerated aging

•

acetic acid

•

activation energy

•

bisphenol A polycarbonate

•

hydrolysis kinetics

•

molecular degradation

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

EPFL units
PV-LAB  
LIMNO  
FunderFunding(s)Grant NumberGrant URL

Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation

European Union

Ecole polytechnique federale de Lausanne

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Available on Infoscience
March 10, 2026
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/261213
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