Full Record for Micrograph 557

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Micrograph no: 557
Brief description: High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS)
Keywords: blend , composite material , high impact polystyrene (HIPS), phase inversion, polybutadiene (PB), polymer , polymer composite, polystyrene (PS), rubber , rubber-toughened polymer, tough
Categories: Composite, Polymer, Polymer composite
System: High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS)
Composition: PS - 15%PB
Standard codes
Reaction
Processing
Applications: High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) is a classical example of a rubber-toughened polymer. Among its applications are riot shields and shatterproof rulers
Sample preparation: The specimen has been stained with ink to reveal the rubber phase
Technique: Transmitted light microscopy
Length bar: 10 μm
Further information: High impact polystyrene (HIPS) or 'rubber-toughened polystyrene' is a two-phase mixture of polybutadiene (a synthetic rubber) in polystyrene. The two phases are immiscible, with polybutadiene crystallising out of the melt to form spheroidal particles. In fact, polystyrene is the first phase to crystallise, forming even an even finer dispersion of polystyrene particles which become trapped within the polybutadiene when a phase inversion occurs at around 10% solidification.
Contributor: J A Curran
Organisation: Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge
Date: 03/10/02
Licence for re-use: Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales