Styrenic plastics high-impact polystyrene, structure

Characteristic functions and the representative structures of plastics additives providing marketable and durable materials are included in this chapter. Types of additives for plastics used in contact with food are listed in Table 3-1. Similar additives as for PS are used for elastomer-modified plastics forming multilayer systems (blends) and used rather exceptionally in contact with food, such as high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) or acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene polymer (ABS). Some of the additives, stabilizers in particular, are very reactive and are present in the plastic matrix in a chemically transformed form. 

These structures are illustrated in Figure 1.3. Through the leadership of Amos and others, polymer blends and grafts found uses as rubber-toughened plastics, which include high-impact polystyrene (HiPS) and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) plastics. As further illustrated in Table 1.1, block copolymers containing a water-soluble block and an oil soluble block became important as surfactants through the work of Lunsted, while other block copolymers, composed of elastomer and plastic blocks, were useful as thermoplastic elastomers. 

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