Chemical and environmental resistance of Xantar®

The resistance of Xantar® resins depends not only on the chemicals concerned but their concentration, exposure time, temperature and stresses on the part. Higher viscosity and modified grades are less sensitive than standard or lower viscosity resins.

Polycarbonates have good resistance in general to acids, salts and alcohols but are poorer against solvents, hydrocarbons and bases. It is recommended to test performance in simulated conditions. Basic and fast procedures are available in DSM’s technical department to check suitability to specific conditions.

Guide to Xantar® chemical resistance.
Comparative guide of chemical resistance of Xantar® and other DSM engineering plastics.

Unmodified polycarbonate can suffer brittle failure when prolonged exposure to certain chemicals occurs, especially under stressed conditions. Special stress crack resistant Xantar® grades are available to improve behaviour in those "impact danger zone"  situations. Xantar® C blends are particularly suited to providing better ESCR behaviour.

Food contact and steam sterilization
For applications requiring food contact approval, special grades are required to withstand normal sterilization techniques and give improved hydrolysis and lipid resistance. For improved resistance to conditions in dishwashers, extra hydrolysis (steam) resistant grades are offered. A biochemical compliant grade is also available for medical and health care applications.

UV Stability
Standard polycarbonate can suffer from discoloration and loss of impact after long-term UV exposure (sunlight). Coloring plays an important role in this behavior. Special UV stabilised Xantar® grades are recommended to improve color fastness and long-term impact performance.