Polystyrene blend with polyolefins

The optimum pyrolysis temperature is 395°C to give a recovery ratio of 0.97 (i.e. 1000 kg polystyrene will yield 970 L liquid monomer) and 5 to 10% char residue. Fuel made from polystyrene feedstock will be high in aromatic character and have an energy content of 50 MJ/kg and a pour point of —67°C. However the flash point is only 26°C and the cetane rating only 12.6. The fuel needs to be blended with polyolefin-derived diesel or regular diesel in order to upgrade the flash point and cetane rating to within specification. 

Specifically, PVC blends with polyethylene, polypropylene, or polystyrene could offer significant potential. PVC offers rigidity combined with flammability resistance. In essence, PVC offers the promise to be the lowest cost method to flame retard these polymers. The processing temperatures for the polyolefins and polystyrene are within the critical range for PVC. In fact, addition of the polyolefins to PVC should enhance its ability to be extruded and injected molded. PVC has been utilized in blends with functional styrenics (ABS and styrene-maleic anhydride co-and terpolymers) as well as PMMA offering the key advantage of improved flame resistance. Reactive extrusion concepts applied to PVC blends with polyolefins and polystyrene appear to be a facile method for compatibilization should the proper chemical modifications be found. He et al. [1997] noted the use of solid-state chlorinated polyethylene as a compatibilizer for PVC/LLDPE blends with a significant improvement in mechanical properties. A recent treatise [Datta and Lohse,... 

Nonolefinic thermoplastic polymers that in principle may be blended with polyolefins include polyamides (nylons) such as polyamide 6, polyamide 66, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyphenylene ether (PPF), and polyphenylene oxide (PPO) polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephtha-late (PBT), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), polycarbonates, polyethers, and polyurethanes vinyl polymers such as polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), and ethylene... 

Polyolefin-Polystyrene Blends with Compatibilizing Agents... 

The brittleness of isotactic polystyrenes has hindered their commercial development. Quoted Izod impact strengths are only 20% that of conventional amorphous polymer. Impact strength double that of the amorphous material has, however, been claimed when isotactic polymer is blended with a synthetic rubber or a polyolefin. 

Polycarbonate-polystyrene blend along with poly(alkylene-dicarboxylate) such as SMA SEBS copolymer for toughening blends of PPO with nylon and polyolefin (proprietary compatibilizer)... 

Limited compatibility to standard polymers. Ecoflex is incompatible to standard polymers like polyolefins, polystyrene and polyvinylchloride (PVC), forming large domains in blends with standard polymers. 

PVC can be blended with numerous other polymers to give it better processability and impact resistance. For the manufacture of food contact materials the following polymerizates and/or polymer mixtures from polymers manufactured from the above mentioned starting materials can be used Chlorinated polyolefins blends of styrene and graft copolymers and mixtures of polystyrene with polymerisate blends butadiene-acrylonitrile-copolymer blends (hard rubber) blends of ethylene and propylene, butylene, vinyl ester, and unsaturated aliphatic acids as well as salts and esters plasticizerfrec blends of methacrylic acid esters and acrylic acid esters with monofunctional saturated alcohols (Ci-C18) as well as blends of the esters of methacrylic acid butadiene and styrene as well as polymer blends of acrylic acid butyl ester and vinylpyrrolidone polyurethane manufactured from 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate, 1.4-butandiol and aliphatic polyesters from adipic acid and glycols. 

Polystyrene is one of the most widely used thermoplastic materials ranking behind polyolefins and PVC. Owing to their special property profile, styrene polymers are placed between commodity and speciality polymers. Since its commercial introduction in the 1930s until the present day, polystyrene has been subjected to numerous improvements. The main development directions were aimed at copolymerization of styrene with polar comonomers such as acrylonitrile, (meth)acrylates or maleic anhydride, at impact modification with different rubbers or styrene-butadiene block copolymers and at blending with other polymers such as polyphenylene ether (PPE) or polyolefins. 

The brittleness of polyvinyl chloride and polystyrene was decreased by blending with plasticizers or impact modifying polymers. The flammability of polystyrene and polyolefins was decreased by the addition of flame retardants and the Instability of polyvinyl chloride and polypropylene was reduced by the addition of stabilizers. — The strength and heat resistance of all of the general purpose plastics were Improved by reinforcing with fiberglass or graphite fibers. 

The external effects of the environment on polymer blends are chemical in nature, and normally lead to degradation of the polymers. Chain scission, depolymerization and reactions on the side-chain substituents all contribute to overall deterioration of blend properties. These are described for blends containing polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, acrylics and polyolefins mixed with a variety of other polymers. The general feamres of radiation damage and the detrimental effects of processing are reviewed. 

It is our purpose here to summarize the characteristics of blends of polyolefins. We consider both blends of polyolefins with other polyolefins and with nonpolyolefins including polyamides and polystyrenes. In the case of interpolyolefin blends, our primary concern is with miscibility. In the case of blends of polyolefins with nonpolyolefins, the blends are all inuniscible and our concern is with phase morphology. We also consider three component blend systems where the third component is a surfactant or compatibilizing agent, which collects at the interface. 

MAJOR APPLICATIONS Automotive, business machine, and electrical/electronics industries. PPO is mainly used to manufacture blends with high-impact polystyrene (HIPS). PPO/nylon, PPO/PBT, and PPO/polyolefin blends are also available on the mcuket. PPO based materials rank first in terms of total consumption among blends based on engineering resins such as nylon, polycarbonate (PC), polyacetal, and reinforced terephthalate polyesters (PET and PBT).( ... 

In the plastics construction materials list, the biggest share belongs to PVC (55%), as followed by polystyrene (PS, 15%), polyolefins (15%), polyurethanes (PU, 8%), and others, mainly PMMA (7%) [24]. These plastics are used in different applications in constrnction and they are nsnally blended with certain additives. These additives cause the main toxic effects of constrnction materials. 

Other thermoplastic elastomer combinations, in which the elastomer phase may or may not be cross-linked, include blends of polypropylene with nitrile (26), butyl (28), and natural (29) rubbers, blends of PVC with nitrile rubber and plasticizers (30-32), and blends ofhalogenated polyolefins with ethylene interpolymers (30). Commercially important products (33,34) based on blends of polystyrene with S-B-S and oil and also on blends of polypropylene with S-EB-S and oil are described later in this article. They are also considered as thermoplastic elastomer combinations. The oils nsed in these prodncts are nsnally hydrocarbons but blends with silicone oils have also been described (35). Collectively, all thermoplastic elastomers of this type (both bends and dynamic vnlcanizates) are referred to herein as hard polymer/elastomer combinations. 

In this section, we wiU discuss non-reactive systems, while reactive compatibihzation will be covered in later sections. Non-reactive ternary polymer systems include random copolymers, graft copolymers and polymers offering either miscibility or good interfacial adhesion between the blend components. One of the primary examples of ternary polymer addition involves the compatibihzation of polystyrene with polyolefins employing styrene-hydrogenated diene-styrene ABA block copolymers. Block copolymer addition is a specific subset of ternary polymer addition that will be discussed in Section 3.7. 

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