2. Deformation mechanism of polystyrene toughened with sub-micrometer monodisperse rubber particles
writer：Guanghui Gao, Jingshu Zhang, Haidong Yang, Chao Zhou and Huixuan Zhang
keywords：core–shell rubber particles; toughening mechanism; shear yielding; cavitation
source：期刊
specific source：Polymer International
Issue time：2006年
Core – shell polybutadiene-graft-polystyrene (PB-g-PS) rubber particles with different ratios of polybutadiene to polystyrene were prepared by emulsion polymerization through grafting styrene onto polybutadiene latex. The weight ratio of polybutadiene to polystyrene ranged from 50/50 to 90/10. These core-shell rubber particles were then blended with polystyrene to prepare PS/PB-g-PS blends with a constant rubber content of 20 wt%. PB-g-PS particles with a lower PB/PS ratio (≤70/30) form a homogeneous dispersion in the polystyrene matrix, and the Izod notched impact strength of these blends is higher than that of commercial high-impact polystyrene (HIPS). It is generally accepted that polystyrene can only be toughened effectively by 1 – 3 μm rubber particles through a toughening mechanism of multiple crazings. However, the experimental results show that polystyrene can actually be toughened by monodisperse sub-micrometer rubber particles. Scanning electron micrographs of the fracture surface and stress-whitening zone of blends with a PB/PS ratio of 70/30 in PB-g-PS copolymer reveal a novel toughening mechanism of modified polystyrene, which may be shear yielding of the matrix, promoted by cavitation. Subsequently, a compression-induced activation method was explored to compare the PS/PB-g-PS blends with commercial HIPS, and the result show that the toughening mechanisms of the two samples are different.