Styrene Copolymerization with Rubber. II. Relationship Between Polymer Morphology and Synthesis Conditions

Recently published papers (1–4) show that the morphology (the size of dispersed phase particles, its volume fraction and the structure of the polymer intermediate layers) of composite polymer materials definitely influences their mechanical resistance. Our research on the microstructure of high impact polystyrene (HIPS) prepared by thermally initiated copolymerization of styrene with rubber (5) has shown that the microstructure can be changed up to high stages of polymerization. The morphological parameters of HIPS, prepared by styrene copolymerization with polybutadiene in the presence of a mixture of initiators, were studied side by side with the effects of molecular weight characteristics of the polystyrene matrix and grafted copolymer.