Modern Styrenic Polymers

Styrenic polymers encompass a broad range of types from commodity plastics to engineering polymers. Early polystyrenes - whilst having many favourable attributes such as outstanding clarity, high gloss, ease of processability and low cost - suffered from brittleness and poor chemical resistance. Today there exists a variety of new polymers, copolymers and blends that enable styrenic polymers to be used in ever growing and more demanding applications. Styrenic polymers now find widespread use in areas from packaging materials right through to structural components for domestic and automotive applications. This book serves as the first comprehensive reference to systematically cover the preparation, properties and applications of this important class of polymers. Major end-use consideration of styrenic polymers such as fracture properties, flammability and photodegradation are covered in detail. This book also describes the latest advances from new polymerization technologies to novel polymer architectures. The book is truly international in its scope, with 31 contributions from leading experts in North America, South America, Europe, Japan and Australia.
With over 15 chapters written by The Dow Chemical Company and some five chapters by BASF, this book provides an authoritative and comprehensive treatment by contemporary experts from the leading companies engaged in the commercial manufacture, research and development of styrenic polymers.

Contributors. Series Preface.
Preface.
About the Editors.
I: INTRODUCTION TO STYRENIC POLYMERS.
Historical Overview of Styrenic Polymers (J. Scheirs).
Polystyrene and Styrene Copolymers - An Overview (N. Niessner and H. Gausepohl)
II: PREPARATION OF STYRENIC POLYMERS.
Commercial Processes for the Manufacture of Polystyrene (B. J. Meister and C. J. Cummings)
Approaches to Low Residual Polystyrene (D. B. Priddy).
Process Modelling and Optimization of Styrene Polymerization (J. Gao, K. D. Hungenberg and A. Penlidis).
Living Free Radical Polymerization of Styrene (A. Butté , G. Storti and M. Morbidelli).
Increasing Production Rates of High MW Polystyrene (B. Matthews and D. B. Priddy).
Preparation of Styrene Block Copolymers Using Nitroxide Mediated Polymerization (D. B. Priddy.).
III: MAJOR CLASSES OF STYRENIC POLYMERS.
Particle Foam Based on Expandable Polystyrene (EPS) (R. -D. Klodt and B. Gougeon).
Rigid Polystyrene Foams and Alternative Blowing Agents (K. W. Suh and A. N. Paquet).
Polystyrene Packaging Applications: Foam Sheet and Oriented Sheet (G. C. Welsh).
Preparation, Properties and Applications of High-impact Polystyrene (M. F. Martin, J. P. Viola and J. R. Wuensch).
Key Structural Features Impacting SAN Copolymer Performance (R. P. Dion and R. L. Sammler).
Rubber Particle Formation in Mass ABS (G. Bouquet).
High Heat Resistant ABS Technology (R. Vanspeybroeck, R. P. Dion and J. M. Ceraso).
Synthesis, Properties and Applications of Acrylonitrile-Styrene-Acrylate Polymers (G. E. McKee, A. Kistenmacher, H. Goerrissen and M. Breulmann).
IV: SYNDIOTACTIC POLYSTYRENE.
Synthesis of Syndiotactic Polystyrene (N. Tomotsu, M. Malanga and J. Schellenberg).
Characterization, Properties and Applications of Syndiotactic Polystyrene (K. Yamasaki, N. Tomotsu and M. Malanga).
Rubber Modification of Syndiotactic Polystyrene (G. E. McKee, F. Ramsteiner and W. Heckmann).
Polymeric Blends Based on Syndiotactic Polystyrene (L. Abis, R. Braglia, G. Giannotta and R. Pò).
V: STYRENIC BLOCK COPOLYMERS.
Styrenic Block Copolymer Elastomers (R. C. Bening, W. H. Korcz and D. L. Handlin, Jr).
Preparation, Properties and Applications of High Styrene Content Styrene-Butadiene Copolymers (D. L. Hartsock and N. E. Stacy).
VI: NOVEL POLYSTYRENES.
Hydrogenated Polystyrene: Preparation and Properties (S. F. Hahn).
Branched Polystyrene (K. Koppi and D. B. Priddy).
'Super Polystyrene' - Styrene-Diphenylethylene Copolymers (G. E. McKee, F. Ramsteiner, W. Heckmann and H. Gausepohl).
Ethylene-Styrene Copolymers (Y. W. Cheung and M. J. Guest).
VII: PROPERTIES OF STYRENIC POLYMERS.
Fracture Behaviour of High-impact Polystyrene and Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (T. Vu-Khanh).
Dynamic Mechanical Behaviour of Atactic Polystyrene, High-impact Polystyrene and Other Styrenic Polymers (S. N. Goyanes and G. H. Rubiolo).
Flame-retardant Polystyrene: Theory and Practice (B. King).
Photochemical Degradation of Styrenic Polymers (B. Mailhot, A. Rivaton and J. L. Gardette).
Analysis and Levels of Styrene Dimers and Trimers in Polystyrene Food Containers (H. Sakamoto).
Index.