Changes in the microstructure and morphology of high-impact polystyrene subjected to multiple processing and thermo-oxidative degradation

Multiple processing and thermo-oxidation have been employed to simulate the degradative processes to which high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) is subjected during processing, service life, and mechanical recycling. A curve-fitting procedure has been proposed for the analysis of the individual bands corresponding to polybutadiene microstructure resulting from Raman spectroscopy. The analysis of the glass transition relaxations associated with the polybutadiene (PB) and polystyrene (PS) phases has been performed according to the free-volume theory. Both reprocessing and thermo-oxidative degradation are responsible for complex physical and chemical effects on the microstructure and morphology of PB and polystyrene PS phases, which ultimately affect the macroscopic performance of HIPS. Multiple processing affects PB microstructure and the free-volume parameter associated with the PS phase. Physical ageing of the PS phase predominates for shorter exposure to thermo-oxidation; after prolonged exposure, however, the chemical effects on the PB phase become significant and strongly influence the overall structure.     

HIPS／PP熔融反应共混及其动态力学性质

研究了高抗冲聚苯乙烯（HIPS）／聚丙烯（PP）共混物在过氧化二异丙苯（DCP）存在下的熔融反应过程及其动态力学性质．HIPS在DCP存在下以聚苯乙烯（PS）的降解为主，伴随着聚丁二烯（PB）的交联和接枝，PP在DCP存在下以降解为主，HIPS／PP在DCP存在下以PP同HIPS的反应接枝为主，这种原位生成的增容剂显著地改善了HIPS／PP两组份间的相容性，其分子运动特征较前两者发生明显变化，PS的Tg下降，PB和PP的Tg升高．     

HIPS-g-GMA相容剂对PC/HIPS共混物相容性的影响*

将两种或两种以上聚合物进行共混是获得性能优异合金材料的简单而有效的途径[1,2 ] .但是大多数聚合物共混时 ,由于混合焓ΔＨ >0且混合熵ΔＳ非常小 ,导致混合自由能大于零 ,故大多数共混体系是不相容的 .而对于不相容的共混 ,由于两相间的界面张力大 ,两相间形成锐形界面 ,两相之间的界面粘结力低 ,导致材料性能很差 .为了改善两相间的相容性 ,需要加入相容剂[3 ,4 ] .绝大多数增容剂是嵌段或接枝共聚物 .这类增容剂分子量较大 ,在加工条件下 ,由于其粘度较大往往难于迁移到两相的界面处 ,起不到应有的增容作用 .聚合物反应加工技术是近 2…     

Characterization of styrene–butadiene copolymers by catalytic pyrolysis over Al-MCM-41

In this work, the Al-MCM-41 catalytic pyrolysis of styrene–butadiene copolymers in a thermobalance has been studied. The behaviour of such copolymers and the corresponding to high impact polystyrene (HIPS), physical blend of PS and PB with a given grafting degree, has been compared, and the importance of the degree of contact between the catalyst and the different polymer domains has been pointed out. Different particle size copolymer particles have been mixed with the catalyst, and in addition, samples have been prepared by solving the copolymer and mixing it with the catalyst, thus assuring an intimate contact. Different decomposition steps which can be related to the degradation of the different domains of the copolymer (polystyrene (PS) and polybutadiene (PB)) have been observed, despite the decomposition processes of the PB and PS domains are not completely independent, showing certain interaction. The importance of to carefully controlling, defining and characterizing the experimental conditions of catalytic pyrolysis of PS–PB experiments in order to generalize or to extend the results obtained in such experiments is clearly demonstrated, and pseudokinetic models capable of reproducing the amount of material evolving trough each decomposition step have been suggested. The possibility of combining the two criteria: (1) the assignment of each decomposition step and (2) the application of a pseudokinetic model is suggested as a potential tool for the characterization of the composition of commercial copolymers or mixtures of PB and PS, once the adequate calibration runs have been performed.     

Chromatographic pattern in recycled high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) - Occurrence of low molecular weight compounds during the life cycle

The analysis of the chromatographic pattern of virgin, reprocessed, thermo-oxidised, and recycled high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) proves to be a suitable and sensitive tool to assess the degree of degradation of HIPS during its first life and subsequent recycling. Different low molecular weight compounds, such as residues of polymerisation, degradation products, and additives have been identified and relatively quantified in HIPS, using microwave-assisted extraction and further analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The release of residues of polymerisation has been proven to occur during reprocessing, thermo-oxidation, and in recycled samples, which may show the emissions of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds during the life cycle of HIPS. A wide range of oxidised degradation products are formed during reprocessing and thermo-oxidation; these products can be identified as oxidised fragments of polystyrene (PS), oxidised fragments from polybutadiene (PB) phase, and oxidised fragments from the grafting points between the PS and PB phase. Real recycled HIPS samples may also contain contaminations and fragments from additives included in their original formulations; the presence of brominated fragments from flame retardants in electronic waste is here observed.     

Morphological changes in SBS block copolymers caused by oil extension as determined by absolute small angle x-ray scattering

A series of SBS block copolymers diluted with different amounts (0–60 wt%) of three different kinds of oil were investigated: 1) lithene PM (a low molecular weight polybutadiene); 2) a paraffinic mineral oil with its electron density close to that of the polybutadiene (PB) phase; 3) a highly aromatic mineral oil with an electron density close to the polystyrene (PS) phase. All the oils seem to go into the polybutadiene matrix. Paraffinic oil and lithene form a homogeneous phase with PB; the aromatic oil at low concentrations mixes with the PB phase with a high level of inhomogeneity, while at higher concentration partial phase separation occurs. In the undiluted polymer, styrene forms cylinders in hexagonal packing. The distance between cylinders (about 43 nm) is not significantly changed upon dilution up to 33 wt%. Previously proposed changes in the morphology of PS domains at larger oil contents can be related to observed changes in the long period, in the segment length distributions, and in the homogeneities of the phase (density fluctuations). The electron density difference obtained for pure SBS is lower than the theoretical one calculated from the densities of pure PS and pure PB. Dilution by paraffinic oil improves the phase separation.     

HIPS／SBS共混物的形态结构和性能

通常,高抗冲聚苯乙烯(HIPS)为多相体系,由连续聚苯乙烯(PS)相和分散的聚丁二烯(PB)颗粒组成。PB含量一般为5～15%,粒径范围为0.5～10μm,PB颗粒是交联的,同时含有接枝的PS,其内部结构由制备工艺决定。HIPS力学性能与其制备工艺、PB含量、PB分子结构、相区尺寸及内部结构密切相关。PS和PB嵌段共聚物(SBS)通常为热塑弹性体,由于PS段和PB段的不相容性而呈现微相分离的结构特征。SBS常用于与其它聚合物共混以增加后者的韧性。本工作研究了HIPS/SBS共混物的形态结构和力学性能。     

Characterization of high-impact polystyrene by catalytic pyrolysis over Al-MCM-41: Study of the influence of the contact between polymer and catalyst

In this work, the particular behaviour of a commercial high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) during the catalytic pyrolysis over Al-MCM-41 has been studied. The results obtained in a thermobalance showed differences in the number and/or the relative importance of the reaction steps involved in the pyrolysis, depending on the polymer particle size, which can be related to the differences in the nature of the polymeric phase being decomposed in each stage. Moreover, the relative importance of each step is very dependent on the particle size, revealing differences in the distribution of the different copolymer domains (i.e., styrene and butadiene domains) when the different particle size samples are mixed with the catalyst. The type of contact of the pure PS and PB polymers has also been studied revealing that, contrary to other results in literature, the catalyst may have an important effect both on the PS and PB pyrolysis. The results obtained showed that catalytic pyrolysis of these polymers could be a powerful tool for providing a fast and simple method for the characterization of copolymers of styrene and butadiene units.     

Morphology, morphology development and mechanical properties of polystyrene/polybutadiene blends

Polystyrene/polybutadiene (PS/PB) blends with different plastic/rubber ratios were prepared by melt mixing. A detailed investigation on phase morphology development of 30/70 wt.% PS/PB blends as a function of processing conditions was quantitatively analyzed. Morphology is developed at the initial stages of mixing. Suitable blending conditions resulting in optimum phase morphology were obtained at 180 °C, 60 rpm and at 8 min mixing time. Phase morphologies of the blends were also studied as a function of composition. Mechanical properties of the blends were measured. Attempts were made to correlate the morphologies with the properties. Parallel-Voids model has been applied to characterize phase morphology of these blends.     

Structure of minimum thickness and terraced free-standing films of block copolymers

The morphologies of thin, substrate-free block copolymer films have been examined by cross-sectional TEM. Two poly(styrene-b-butadiene) diblock copolymers were studied: one that forms PS cylinders and the other that forms PB cylinders in the bulk. Films were annealed while supported by metal TEM grids, embedded, and ultramicrotomed in crosssection. We find that at the metal support the film forms a meniscus-like region, or Plateau border, which exhibits the bulk morphology. Away from the border, the film thickness decreases and regions of terraced in-plane cylinder domains occur until a minimum thickness is reached. The minimum thickness region of the PB majority copolymer in cross-section shows a PS interlayer penetrated by a hexagonal array of circular PB channels that connect upper and lower PB surface layers, and a total thickness of 25–27 nm. The minimum thickness region of the PS majority copolymer in plan view shows no image contrast, but in cross-section reveals a continuous PS interlayer covered by layers of PB, and a total thickness of 20 nm. Comparisons with the chain dimensions suggest a bilayer arrangement for both morphologies with strongly perturbed chain conformations in the surface layers. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Continuous Bulk Process for the Production of High‐Impact Polystyrene: Recent Developments in Modeling and Control

This work presents (in a wider perspective), some of our recent developments in the mathematical modeling and control of bulk polymerization for the production of HIPS. The recent model by Casís assumes the polymerization to be heterogeneous, and it calculates (in two phases) the global molecular structure of the three polymeric components of HIPS (free polystyrene, unreacted polybutadiene, and graft copolymer). At present, a model is being developed capable of estimating the average particle morphology (salami or core‐shell). Assuming a continuous bulk HIPS process as homogeneous, Luciani estimated the evolution of the MFI of the final product during changes of grade, with the aim of minimizing the intermediate off‐spec product. Finally, an unpublished simulation is presented that describes the transitions between the steady state of a HIPS‐grade and that of a general‐purpose polystyrene.

     

Glass transitions and mixed phases in block SBS

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) does not allow for easy determination of the glass‐transition temperature (T_g) of the polystyrene (PS) block in styrene–butadiene–styrene (SBS) block copolymers. Modulated DSC (MDSC), which deconvolutes the standard DSC signal into reversing and nonreversing signals, was used to determine the (T_g) of both the polybutadiene (PB) and PS blocks in SBS. The T_g of the PB block was sharp, at ?92 °C, but that for the PS blocks was extremely broad, from ?60 to 125 °C with a maximum at 68 °C because of blending with PB. PS blocks were found only to exist in a mixed PS–PB phase. This concurred with the results from dynamic mechanical analysis. Annealing did not allow for a segregation of the PS blocks into a pure phase, but allowed for the segregation of the mixed phase into two mixed phases, one that was PB‐rich and the other that was PS‐rich. It is concluded that three phases coexist in SBS: PB, PB‐rich, and PS‐rich phases. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 276–279, 2005     

Use of block copolymer-stabilized cadmium sulfide quantum dots as novel tracers for laser scanning confocal fluorescence imaging of blend morphology in polystyrene/poly(methyl methacrylate) films

This paper describes the first use of polymer-coated quantum dots (QDs) as fluorescent tracers for LSCFM imaging of phase morphology in polymer blends. Cadmium sulfide (CdS) QDs stabilized at the surface with a PS-b-PAA block copolymer are shown to be well dispersed via their polystyrene (PS) brush layer in the PS phase of solvent-cast 40/60 (w/w) PS/PMMA blends. The QDs are excluded from the PMMA phase, providing excellent fluorescence contrast for LSCFM imaging of the phase-separated blends. The presence of PS-b-PAA-stabilized QDs does not appear to affect the blend morphology, since the observed morphologies are the same when the percentage of QDs within the PS phase is varied from 10 to 50 wt %. These QD fluorescent tracers are used to characterize several aspects of blend morphology in solvent-cast 40/60 PS/PMMA blends containing PS homopolymer with either 100 (low molecular weight) or 1250 (high molecular weight) repeat units. In the PS(1250)/PMMA blends, a percolating distribution of PMMA droplets (2-25 mum) in a PS matrix is observed in the bulk, and a distinct inversion in the continuous phase is found near the glass substrate. In the PS(100)/PMMA blends, a "phase-in-phase" morphology is found, consisting of large PS domains (20-100 mum) dispersed in a PMMA continuous phase and small PMMA domains (1-2 mum) scattered throughout the larger PS droplets. The observed change in blend structure is attributed to a lower interfacial tension for the lower molecular weight PS.     

高抗冲聚苯乙烯中银纹的引发与终止

银纹是由孔穴和断裂面间相联结的原纤维组成的微小裂纹,其中原纤维的体积分数可达40%.银纹的体积分数与材料的韧性成正比.银纹化是高抗冲聚苯乙烯(ＨＩＰＳ)在脆化温度以下,抵抗破坏而消耗外界能量的主要方式.银纹的产生与材料内部不均一性所导致的应力集中有关.ＨＩＰＳ中的橡胶粒子能够控制银纹在本体中均匀地发展,这是ＨＩＰＳ高韧性的原因[1].ＨＩＰＳ的分散相是由聚丁二烯(ＰＢ)为连续相,ＰＳ为分散相构成的细胞结构粒子.通常ＨＩＰＳ中ＰＢ的含量为7%～8%,而细胞结构粒子的体积分数可高达23%,可见细胞结构粒子内部ＰＳ的含量为ＰＢ的…     

Control of self‐organized low‐dimensional morphology in poly(styrene‐b‐4vinylpyridine)/polystyrene blend thin films

The surface morphologies of poly(styrene‐b‐4vinylpyridine) (PS‐b‐P4VP) diblock copolymer and homopolystyrene (hPS) binary blend thin films were investigated by atomic force microscopy as a function of total volume fraction of PS (?_PS) in the mixture. It was found that when hPS was added into symmetric PS‐b‐P4VP diblock copolymers, the surface morphology of this diblock copolymer was changed to a certain degree. With ?_PS increasing at first, hPS was solubilized into the corresponding domains of block copolymer and formed cylinders. Moreover, the more solubilized the hPS, the more cylinders exist. However, when the limit was reached, excessive hPS tended to separate from the domains independently instead of solubilizing into the corresponding domains any longer, that is, a macrophase separation occurred. A model describing transitions of these morphologies with an increase in ?_PS is proposed. The effect of composition on the phase morphology of blend films when graphite is used as a substrate is also investigated. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 3496–3504, 2004     

Morphology,structure, and properties of in situ compatibilized linear low‐density polyethylene/polystyrene and linear low‐density polyethylene/high‐impact polystyrene blends

Blends of linear low‐density polyethylene (LLDPE) with polystyrene (PS) and blends of LLDPE with high‐impact polystyrene (HIPS) were prepared through a reactive extrusion method. For increased compatibility of the two blending components, a Lewis acid catalyst, aluminum chloride (AlCl₃), was adopted to initiate the Friedel–Crafts alkylation reaction between the blending components. Spectra data from Raman spectra of the LLDPE/PS/AlCl₃ blends extracted with tetrahydrofuran verified that LLDPE segments were grafted to the para position of the benzene rings of PS, and this confirmed the graft structure of the Friedel–Crafts reaction between the polyolefin and PS. Because the in situ generated LLDPE‐g‐PS and LLDPE‐g‐HIPS copolymers acted as compatibilizers in the relative blending systems, the mechanical properties of the LLDPE/PS and LLDPE/HIPS blending systems were greatly improved. For example, after compatibilization, the Izod impact strength of an LLDPE/PS blend (80/20 w/w) was increased from 88.5 to 401.6 J/m, and its elongation at break increased from 370 to 790%. For an LLDPE/HIPS (60/40 w/w) blend, its Charpy impact strength was increased from 284.2 to 495.8 kJ/m². Scanning electron microscopy micrographs showed that the size of the domains decreased from 4–5 to less than 1 μm, depending on the content of added AlCl₃. The crystallization behavior of the LLDPE/PS blend was investigated with differential scanning calorimetry. Fractionated crystallization phenomena were noticed because of the reduction in the size of the LLDPE droplets. The melt‐flow rate of the blending system depended on the competition of the grafting reaction of LLDPE with PS and the degradation of the blending components. The degradation of PS only happened during the alkylation reaction between LLDPE and PS. Gel permeation chromatography showed that the alkylation reaction increased the molecular weight of the blend polymer. The low molecular weight part disappeared with reactive blending. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 1837–1849, 2003     

Microphase separation in poly(acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene) (ABS) studied with paramagnetic spin probes. II. Simulation of electron spin resonance spectra

We recently presented electron spin resonance spectra of poly(acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene) (ABS) doped with 10‐doxylnonadecane (10DND) and 5‐doxyldecane (5DD) as spin probes. The spectra were measured in three types of ABS that differed in their butadiene contents and methods of preparation. Results for the ABS polymers were evaluated by comparison with similar studies on the homopolymers polybutadiene (PB) and polystyrene (PS) and the copolymers poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile) (SAN) and poly(styrene‐co‐butadiene) (SB). Only one spectral component was detected for 10DND in PB, PS, SAN, and SB. In contrast, two spectral components differing in their dynamic properties were detected in the ABS samples and were assigned to spin probes located in butadiene‐rich domains (the fast component) and SAN‐rich domains (the slow component). The presence of two spectral components was taken as an indication of microphase separation. In this study, we present details on the dynamics and microphase separation by simulating spectra of 10DND in ABS, PB, PS, and SAN. The simulations are based on a dynamic model defined by the components of the rotational diffusion tensor and the diffusion tilt angle between the symmetry axis of the rotational diffusion tensor and the direction of the nitrogen 2p_z atomic orbital. The jump diffusion model led to good agreement with experimental spectra. In this model, the spin probe has a fixed orientation for a given time and then jumps instantaneously to a new orientation. The temperature variation of the rotational correlation time in PB and PS consisted of two dynamic regimes, with different activation energies. The transition temperature at which the change in dynamics occurs (T_tr) is 380 K for PS and 205 K for PB, essentially the same as the corresponding glass‐transition temperatures measured by differential scanning calorimetry. We suggest that T_tr is a better indicator of the glass transition than the temperature at which the total spectral width is 50 G, especially for large probes. The simulation program allowed the determination of the relative intensities of the fast and slow spectral components as a function of temperature; this information was used to clarify the redistribution of the probe above the glass transition of the SAN‐rich component in ABS systems. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 424–433, 2002; DOI 10.1002/polb.10110     

Correlation between crystallization kinetics and microdomain morphology in block copolymer blends exhibiting confined crystallization

The crystallization kinetics of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) blocks in poly(ethylene oxide)‐block‐poly(1,4‐butadiene) (PEO‐b‐PB)/poly(1,4‐butadiene) (PB) blends were previously found to display a one‐to‐one correlation with the microdomain morphology. The distinct correlation was postulated to stem from the homogeneous nucleation‐controlled crystallization in the cylindrical and spherical PEO microdomains, where there existed a direct proportionality between the nucleation rate and the individual domain volume. This criterion was valid for confined crystallization in which the crystallization was spatially restricted within the individual domains. However, it was possibly not applicable to PEO‐b‐PB/PB, in that the melt mesophase was strongly perturbed upon crystallization. Therefore, it may be speculated that the crystal growth front developed in a given microdomain could intrude into the nearby noncrystalline domains, yielding the condition of cooperative crystallization. To establish an unambiguous model system for verifying the existence of microdomain‐tailored kinetics in confined crystallization, we crosslinked amorphous PB blocks in PEO‐b‐PB/PB with a photoinitiated crosslinking reaction to effectively suppress the cooperative crystallization. Small‐angle X‐ray scattering revealed that, in contrast to the noncrosslinked systems, the pre‐existing domain morphology in the melt was retained upon crystallization. The crystallization kinetics in the crosslinked system also exhibited a parallel transition with the morphological transformation, thereby verifying the existence of microdomain‐tailored kinetics in the confined crystallization of block copolymers. Homogeneous nucleation‐controlled crystallizations in cylindrical and spherical morphologies were demonstrated in an isothermal crystallization study in which the corresponding crystallinity developments followed a simple exponential rule not prescribed by conventional spherulitic crystallization. Despite the effective confinement imposed by the crosslinked PB phase, crystallization in the lamellar phase still proceeded through a mechanism analogous to the spherulitic crystallization of homopolymers. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 519–529, 2002; DOI 10.1002/polb.10121     

Melt rheology and morphology of binary and ternary PS/HIPS blends for blown film extrusion applications

Rheology is an important tool for evaluating the potential application of a specific material in the production of blow molding films. In the present study, binary and ternary blends based on two different grades of polystyrene (PS) and high impact polystyrene (HIPS) were prepared by melt mixing in a twin screw extruder, using a simplex-centroid mixture design. Rheological analysis was performed based on elongational and dynamic rheology tests combined with scanning electron microscopy. Based on the rheology tests performed, the PS1/HIPS (50:50 wt.%) binary blend is a promising candidate for use in blow molding film applications.     

Blends of organosilicon polymers with polystyrene and poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide)

Blends of organosilicon polymers with polystyrene, PS, and poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide), PPE, were investigated by transmission electron microscopy and differencial scanning calorimetry. Blends with poly(tetramethylsilphenylenesiloxane), PTMPS, showed a morphology characterized by globular domains dispersed in the organic matrix. An apparent homogeneous system was observed when poly(dimethylsilphenylene), PDSP, was mixed with PPE. A crystalline phase was found in samples with a higher PDSP content. The morphology of PS/PDSP blends with low PDSP content showed a dendritic phase dispersed in the PS-rich matrix. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 35: 2609–2616, 1997