Patent ID: 8716388

Claim:
A method for producing a polycarbonate nanocomposite comprising: forming a reaction mixture comprising a dihydroxy compound, an activated carbonate, a metal precursor, and a solvent; and in-situ polymerizing the reaction mixture to form a polycarbonate nanocomposite comprising metal nanoparticles dispersed within a polycarbonate matrix, the metal nanoparticles being formed from the metal precursor; wherein the metal precursor is a salt comprising a metal selected from the group consisting of cobalt, rhodium, iridium, copper, silver, gold, platinum, palladium, and combinations thereof; and wherein the in-situ polymerizing step comprises maintaining the reaction mixture at a first temperature and a first pressure for a first period of time, then maintaining the reaction mixture at a second temperature and a second pressure for a second period of time, the first temperature being lower than the second temperature.