Styrene-based plastics applications

Lamination of polymer films, both styrene-based and other polymer types, to styrene-based materials can be carried out during the extmsion process for protection or decorative purposes. For example, an acrylic film can be laminated to ABS sheet during extmsion for protection in outdoor applications. Multiple extmsion of styrene-based plastics with one or more other plastics has grown rapidly from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. 

As a concluding comment it must be pointed out that, in considering styrene-based plastics for particular applications, the poor solvent resistance might be a limitation. Simultaneous application of stress, in the presence of a solvent, may give premature failure due to environmental stress cracking. These comments apply equally to PS, HIPS, ABS and the PPO-PS blends. 

The large-scale application of PBD in tire manufacturing and as impact modifier in (styrene-based) plastics has turned it into a commodity with worldwide availability and with concomitantly favorable pricing. PBDs per se are rather hydro-phobic, which leads to a certain incompatibility with inorganic substrates and water, common materials of everyday life. Functionalization at the double bond is chemically simple and can increase the polarity to the extent that the product becomes water soluble. Perhaps this combination of availability, low price, and simple tuning of properties has led to the ongoing interest in PBD postpolymerization chemistry. 

A wide variety of thermoplastics have been used as the base for reinforced plastics. These include polypropylene, nylon, styrene-based materials, thermoplastic polyesters, acetal, polycarbonate, polysulphone, etc. The choice of a reinforced thermoplastic depends on a wide range of factors which includes the nature of the application, the service environment and costs. In many cases conventional thermoplastic processing techniques can be used to produce moulded articles (see Chapter 4). Some typical properties of fibre reinforced nylon are given in Table 3.2. 

The development of new polymer alloys has caused a lot of excitement in recent years but in fact the concept has been around for a long time. Indeed one of the major commercial successes of today, ABS, is in fact an alloy of acrylonitrile, butadiene and styrene. The principle of alloying plastics is similar to that of alloying metals - to achieve in one material the advantages possessed by several others. The recent increased interest and activity in the field of polymer alloys has occurred as a result of several new factors. One is the development of more sophisticated techniques for combining plastics which were previously considered to be incompatible. Another is the keen competition for a share of new market areas such as automobile bumpers, body panels etc. These applications call for combinations of properties not previously available in a single plastic and it has been found that it is less expensive to combine existing plastics than to develop a new monomer on which to base the new plastic. 

Phenylene oxide Based (PPO) plastic that is a choice for electrical applications, housings for computers and appliances, both neat and in structural foam form. It has superior dimensional stability, moisture resistance due to styrene components, which, however, cause some sacrifice of weather and chemical resistance. Use includes automobile wheel covers, pool plumbing, consumer electronic external and internal components. 

S. Bandyopadhyay, S.L. Agrawal, P. Sajith, N. Mandal, S. Dasgupta, R. Mukhopadhyay, A.S. Deuri, and S.C. Ameta, Research on the application of recycled waste RFL (Resorcinol-Formaldehyde-Latex) dip solid in Styrene Butadiene Rubber based compounds. Progress in Rubber, Plastics and Recycling Technology, 23(1), 21, 2007. 

Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and acrylonitrile-styrene-acry- late (ASA) are rubber-toughened plastics based upon the styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN) copolymer matrix. The combination of the stiffness and toughness exhibited by these materials has made them increasingly attractive in engineering applications, and the activity of the patent literature testifies to a continuing interest in improving properties through modifications of structure. The aim of this paper is to discuss a quantitative approach to structure-property relationships in ABS and ASA polymers. 

Knot et al. (51) converted soybean oil to several monomers for use in structural applications. They prepared rigid thermosetting resins by using free radical copolymerization of maleates with styrene. The maleates are obtained by glycerol trans-esterification of the soybean oil, followed by esterification with maleric anhydride. They also synthesized several TAG-based polymers and composites and compared their properties. It was found that the moduli and glass transition temperature (Tg) of the polymers varied and depended on the particular monomer and the resin composition. They proposed that the transition from glassy to rubbery behavior was extremely broad for these polymers as a result of the TAG molecules acting both as cross-linkers as well as plasticizers in the system. 

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