Table 4 Values for 30 × 30 × 30 mm PP and GFPP cubes autoclaved at 134 °C. PP cubes withstood one and two rounds of autoclaving at this temperature. GFPP cubes displayed a larger variance because some cubes melted after two rounds of autoclaving, but others survived one and three rounds. Numbers in parentheses denote a negative calculated value
Polymer | Number of Autoclaves Completed | Average Initial Mass (g) | Average Percent Mass Loss | Average Percent Volume Loss | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PP (n = 5) | 1 | 14.46 ± 0.19 | 0.04 % ± 0.008 % | 0.33 % ± 0.34 % | 1 |
PP (n = 10) | 2 | 14.63 ± 0.20 | 0.01 % ± 0.007 % | 0.87 % ± 0.58 % | 1 |
PP (n = 5) | 3 | 14.53 ± 0.06 | 0.06 % ± 0.016 % | 1.70 % ± 1.81 % | 2 |
GFPP (n = 5) | 1 | 16.16 ± 0.23 | (0.01)% ± 0.008 % | 0.43 % ± 0.37 % | 1 |
GFPP (n = 10) | 2 | 16.06 ± 0.16 | 0.06 % ± 0.38 % | 4.04 % ± 4.27 % | 3 |
GFPP (n = 5) | 3 | 15.91 ± 0.11 | (0.03)% ± 0.03 % | 0.60 % ± 0.46 % | 1 |