Study on Preparation and Properties of Polystyrene/Styrene-Ethylene/Butylene-Styrene Composites

Abstract

The polystyrene/styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene composites were prepared by melt blending process in this paper. The mechanical properties of PS/SEBS composites were analyzed. The results showed that the impact strength of PS/SEBS composites could be increased with the content increasing of SEBS, meanwhile the tensile strength was lower than pure polystyrene. When the content of SEBS increased to 13 wt.%, the impact strength of PS/SEBS composites was 2.4 times higher than that of pure PS. The fractured surfaces of the specimens were characterized by scanning electron microscopy(SEM). The results showed that the impact fractured surfaces produced a lot of sliding along with the addition of SEBS. The particles of SEBS could be well dispersed in polystyrene matrix. From rheological properties studies and the values of the torque, it was suggested that the maximum torque of PS/SEBS composites decreased drastically.

SEBS as an Effective Nucleating Agent for Polystyrene Foams

“…A commercial polystyrene (PS) recommended for foam applications (Edistir N3840 from Versalis, San Donato Milanese, Italy) with a melt flow index of 10 g/10 min (200 • C/5 kg), a density of 1.05 g/cm 3 , and a glass transition temperature (Tg) of 89 • C was used as the polymer matrix. A commercial SEBS (Kraton G1643MS from Kraton Corporation, Houston, TX, USA) with a melt flow index of 17.6 g/10 min (200 • C/5 kg), a density of 0.91 g/cm 3 , and a styrene content of 20% was used as the secondary phase to produce the PS-SEBS blends. Before the materials were processed, they were dried in a vacuum drying oven (Mod.…”

“…The incorporation of this organic phase in common thermoplastic polymers has been reported by several researchers with successful results when modifying the impact properties of the solid polymer matrix. For instance, Sang et al reported that by adding 13 wt.% of SEBS to a PS matrix, it was possible to improve the impact strength up to 4.4 times compared to that of pure PS [3]. Furthermore, Lindsey et al showed that the inclusion of 20% SEBS in blends of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with PS increases the impact behavior of the blends by 100%, with the drawback of reducing the tensile strength and the elastic modulus [4].…”