Styrenic plastics styrene copolymer

Styrene [100-42-5] (phenylethene, viaylben2ene, phenylethylene, styrol, cinnamene), CgH5CH=CH2, is the simplest and by far the most important member of a series of aromatic monomers. Also known commercially as styrene monomer (SM), styrene is produced in large quantities for polymerization. It is a versatile monomer extensively used for the manufacture of plastics, including crystalline polystyrene, mbber-modifted impact polystyrene, expandable polystyrene, acrylonitrile—butadiene—styrene copolymer (ABS), styrene—acrylonitrile resins (SAN), styrene—butadiene latex, styrene—butadiene mbber (qv) (SBR), and unsaturated polyester resins (see Acrylonithile polya rs Styrene plastics). 

Styrene is a colorless Hquid with an aromatic odor. Important physical properties of styrene are shown in Table 1 (1). Styrene is infinitely soluble in acetone, carbon tetrachloride, benzene, ether, / -heptane, and ethanol. Nearly all of the commercial styrene is consumed in polymerization and copolymerization processes. Common methods in plastics technology such as mass, suspension, solution, and emulsion polymerization can be used to manufacture polystyrene and styrene copolymers with different physical characteristics, but processes relating to the first two methods account for most of the styrene polymers currendy (ca 1996) being manufactured (2—8). Polymerization generally takes place by free-radical reactions initiated thermally or catalyticaHy. Polymerization occurs slowly even at ambient temperatures. It can be retarded by inhibitors. 

Since the last edition several new materials have been aimounced. Many of these are based on metallocene catalyst technology. Besides the more obvious materials such as metallocene-catalysed polyethylene and polypropylene these also include syndiotactic polystyrenes, ethylene-styrene copolymers and cycloolefin polymers. Developments also continue with condensation polymers with several new polyester-type materials of interest for bottle-blowing and/or degradable plastics. New phenolic-type resins have also been announced. As with previous editions I have tried to explain the properties of these new materials in terms of their structure and morphology involving the principles laid down in the earlier chapters. 

Thorough rinsing between the pretreatment steps is essential to prevent carry-over of solutions. The commonest plastic plated is ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene copolymer) but procedures are also available for polypropylene and other plastics. In some proprietary processes, electroless copper solutions are used to give the initial thin conducting layer. 

SAN (styrene acrylonitrile) Polyvinyl chloride Plasticized Unplasticized Polyvinylidene chloride Styrene copolymer (SMA) Crystal Impact... 

Weathering Many plastics has short lives when exposed to outdoor conditions. The better materials include acrylic, chlorotri-fluorethylene, vinylidene fluoride, chlorinated polyether, polyester, alkyd, and black linear poly-ethylene. Black materials are best for outdoor service. Some of the styrene copolymers are suitable for certain outdoor uses (Chapter 2, WEATHERING/ ENVIRONMENT). 

An outstanding property of EPS is its extremely low density (when compared to other processes), that by alteration of the preforming treatment can be varied according to the end use. Other types of plastics are employed to produce expandable plastic foam (EPF), including PE, PP, PMMA, and ethylene-styrene copolymers. They can use the same equipment, with only slight modifications. These plastics have different properties from those of EPS and open up different markets. They provide improved sound insulation, resistances to additional heat deformation, better recovery of shapes in moldings, and so on. 

The isoprene units in the copolymer impart the ability to crosslink the product. Polystyrene is far too rigid to be used as an elastomer but styrene copolymers with 1,3-butadiene (SBR rubber) are quite flexible and rubbery. Polyethylene is a crystalline plastic while ethylene-propylene copolymers and terpolymers of ethylene, propylene and diene (e.g., dicyclopentadiene, hexa-1,4-diene, 2-ethylidenenorborn-5-ene) are elastomers (EPR and EPDM rubbers). Nitrile or NBR rubber is a copolymer of acrylonitrile and 1,3-butadiene. Vinylidene fluoride-chlorotrifluoroethylene and olefin-acrylic ester copolymers and 1,3-butadiene-styrene-vinyl pyridine terpolymer are examples of specialty elastomers. 

ISO 4894-1 1997 Plastics - Styrene/acrylonitrile (SAN) moulding and extrusion materials -Part 1 Designation system and basis for specifications ISO 4894-2 1995 Plastics - Styrene/acrylonitrile (SAN) moulding and extrusion materials -Part 2 Preparation of test specimens and determination of properties ISO 19220 2004 Plastics piping systems for soil and waste discharge (low and high temperature) inside buildings - Styrene copolymer blends (SAN PVC)... 

Uses. Stabilizer/antioxidant for vinyl plastics and polyethylene, polypropylene, styrene copolymers, and rubber... 

Copolymerization allows the synthesis of an almost unlimited number of different products by variations in the nature and relative amounts of the two monomer units in the copolymer product. A prime example of the versatility of the copolymerization process is the case of polystyrene. More than 11 billion pounds per year of polystyrene products are produced annually in the United States. Only about one-third of the total is styrene homopolymer. Polystyrene is a brittle plastic with low impact strength and low solvent resistance (Sec. 3-14b). Copolymerization as well as blending greatly increase the usefulness of polystyrene. Styrene copolymers and blends of copolymers are useful not only as plastics but also as elastomers. Thus copolymerization of styrene with acrylonitrile leads to increased impact and solvent resistance, while copolymerization with 1,3-butadiene leads to elastomeric properties. Combinations of styrene, acrylonitrile, and 1,3-butadiene improve all three properties simultaneously. This and other technological applications of copolymerization are discussed further in Sec. 6-8. 

The bulk of polyester production in the United States has gone to the synthetic coatings field in the manufacture of glyptal resin coatings and varnishes, with production between 200,000,000 and 300,000,000 pounds in the postwar years. A recent development has been the use of polyester-styrene copolymers reinforced by Fiberglas for the manufacture of items such as low-pressure molded boats, corrugated structural sheet, and plastic pipe. The 1947 requirements for glycerol in the production of polyester resins and... 

Fe203 and Fe304 in presence of a chloride source act as flame retardants for nitrile-containing plastics and rubbers such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymers.52 The activity appears to be connected with the formation of FeCl3 on combustion, but other properties of FeCl3 itself make it unsuitable for direct use. If an alkyl chloride is present iron(II) citrate may be used, and for halogen-containing nitrile polymers acetates, stearates, sulfates and carbonates are effective. 

PES = Polyester-styrene copolymer NG = Nitroglycerine PS NGU - Polystyrene plasticizer with dioctylphthalate = Nitroguanidine PU = Polyurethane NC = Nitrocellulose ... 

Of the styrene copolymers used for food packaging the styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer known as SAN still needs to be mentioned. SAN copolymers possess better mechanical properties and better resistance to oils and aroma compounds than PS. Copolymers with acrylonitrile fractions of 20-35 % find uses as household and camping dishes. Copolymers with a higher acrylonitrile content (> 60%) have earned particular importance as barrier plastics. With an increasing acrylonitrile fraction, the gas permeability decreases sharply. 

Copolymers of styrene include a large group of random, graft, and block copolymers. Those with a high proportion of acrylonitrile used in barrier films as well as others such as methacrylic-butadiene-styrene copolymer (MBS) plastic is used as modifiers in PVC, SAN, ABS, ASA, etc. The styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer (SAN) is the most important when considering volume and number of applications. 

Of great importance are the ethylene derivatives with aromatic substituents. Styrene (vinylbenzene) is one of the monomers produced industrially in large volume. Polystyrene and styrene copolymers still belong to the important representatives of modern plastics and rubbers. Styrene can be polymerized by any of the known procedures. It has suitable physical properties, and therefore it is one of the most frequently studied monomers. It also... 

Figure 2.12 Transparent plastics (including styrene copolymers) for state-of-the-art household equipment...

The heat resistance of ABS can be improved by adding a high- Tg polymer, by chemically modifying the SAN copolymer, or by removing low molecular weight plasticizers. This review will not cover the multiphase blend approach, exemplified by extruded mixtures of polycarbonate and ABS. The focus will concentrate on the chemical modification of ABS by the use of a different, continuous-phase styrenic copolymer. 

This chapter discusses the dynamic mechanical properties of polystyrene, styrene copolymers, rubber-modified polystyrene and rubber-modified styrene copolymers. In polystyrene, the experimental relaxation spectrum and its probable molecular origins are reviewed further the effects on the relaxations caused by polymer structure (e.g. tacticity, molecular weight, substituents and crosslinking) and additives (e.g. plasticizers, antioxidants, UV stabilizers, flame retardants and colorants) are assessed. The main relaxation behaviour of styrene copolymers is presented and some of the effects of random copolymerization on secondary mechanical relaxation processes are illustrated on styrene-co-acrylonitrile and styrene-co-methacrylic acid. Finally, in rubber-modified polystyrene and styrene copolymers, it is shown how dynamic mechanical spectroscopy can help in the characterization of rubber phase morphology through the analysis of its main relaxation loss peak. 

Thermoset plastics have also been pyrolysed with a view to obtain chemicals for recycling into the petrochemical industry. Pyrolysis of a polyester/styrene copolymer resin composite produced a wax which consisted of 96 wt% of phthalic anhydride and an oil composed of 26 wt% styrene. The phthalic anhydride is used as a modifying agent in polyester resin manufacture and can also be used as a cross-linking agent for epoxy resins. Phthalic anhydride is a characteristic early degradation product of unsaturated thermoset polyesters derived from orf/io-phthalic acid [56, 57]. Kaminsky et al. [9] investigated the pyrolysis of polyester at 768°C in a fiuidized-bed reactor and reported 18.1 wt% conversion to benzene. 

Automotive plastic waste components are, in addition to PP and PVC, styrene copolymers, rubber, polyamides and polyurethanes. 

FDA approved under 21CFR178.2010 for use in acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymers at levels not to exceed 0.6% by weight of the copolymer. Section 177.1010 for use in semi-rigid and rigid acrylics at levels not to exceed 0.1% by weight of the plastic, and Section 175.105 as a component of food packaging adhesives. Also, approved by the FDA as an antioxidant in the preparation of rubber articles at a level not to exceed 5% by 21CFR177.2600. 

Thermoplastics are plastics which undergo a softening when heated to a particular temperature. This thermoplastic behaviour is a consequence of the absence of covalent bonds between the polymeric chains, which remain as practically independent units linked only by weak electrostatic forces (Figure 1.4(a)). Therefore, waste thermoplastics can be easily reprocessed by heating and forming into a new shape. From a commercial point of view, the most important thermoplastics are high density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene tereph-thalate (PET), polyamide (PA), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS), and styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer (SAN). 

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